Organic White Cabbage First - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds - Brassica oleracea capitata

The 'White Early' Cabbage is an early variety that produces a beautiful head (1 to 1.8 kg) composed of tender leaves and excellent taste.

Sow from March to June for a harvest from July to December.

The Savoy Cabbage or White Cabbage is a very popular leafy vegetable, it is one of the must-haves in the vegetable garden and if we love it so much, it may be as much for its flavor as for the generous appearance of the heads it forms.

Indifferently called White Cabbage or Savoy Cabbage (in Latin Brassica oleracea capitata, capitata meaning "head"), this beautiful vegetable plant belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). Originally from Europe, it is a biennial plant cultivated as an annual that produces a more or less tight head, which can be round, slightly flattened or conical in pointed varieties. The leaves of the Savoy Cabbage are smooth,h and their colour varies depending on the varieties: from very light green, almost white,e to dark green, and sometimes slightly bluish to red, and tinged with violet to nearly black.

The Cabbage, although emblematic of winter, can be sown and harvested almost all year round. Varieties are generally grouped into three main categories: spring cabbages that are harvested from late April to June, summer and autumn cabbages for the period from July and winter cabbages that allow, along with leeks and parsnips, to wait until the first spring harvests.

Savoy Cabbage can be eaten both raw and cooked, it can be prepared grated in salad, braised to accompany meat and fish dishes, stuffed or even in soup and sauerkraut. There is no shortage of recipes, both in traditional and modern cuisine.

From a dietary point of view, it is remarkable: its energy value is low but very rich in vitamins C, B6 and B9; it also contains a lot of fibre and minerals like calcium.

In the vegetable garden, it is easy to grow as long as its requirements are met: deep soil, excellent manure and regular moisture. It thrives in the sun and generally does well in cool and rainy climates.

Harvest: it is done when the cabbage forms a beautiful head and before the leaves start to turn yellow. It is done with a knife by cutting just below the head.

Storage: Savoy Cabbage can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. It can also be frozen well after being blanched in salted boiling water. Winter varieties can also be left in the ground. Finally, the making of sauerkraut (lacto-fermentation) allows the delicious preservation of white-headed autumn varieties.

The gardener's little tip: Don't forget the flowers! Even though the vegetable garden is primarily a garden for producing quality vegetables, it is always interesting to plant flowers. First of all, even if the beauty of some vegetables like Cabbage is sufficient for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, they also repel pests and attract valuable pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant Gaillardias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums or even beautiful herbs like Dill right in the rows or at the edge of the bed. However, be cautious of certain plants, although practical, like Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in dedicated growing spaces.

Organic or "AB" seeds come from plants without phytosanitary products (insecticides, herbicides). These seeds are also not treated after harvest. They bear the AB label and are certified by Ecocert, an independent organisation.