In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the good for you food of the week is cabbage. This cruciferous vegetable may go without notice most of the year, until March rolls around and it stars in the traditional Irish-American corned beef and cabbage. But don’t be so quick to walk past it next time you’re at the grocery store.
Here in Idaho, the growing season for cabbage is August through November, so that’s the best time of year to enjoy it, but you’ll find it in stores year-round. Like all cruciferous vegetables—kale, broccoli, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts—cabbage is dense with nutrients which help lower our risk of prostate, colorectal, breast, ovarian, and lung cancers. There is evidence to suggest that a diet high in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage (three to five servings a day) will help lower the risk of bladder cancer as well.
A cup of cabbage provides nearly a day’s supply of vitamin K, and half a day’s supply of vitamin C. You’ll also get dietary fiber, manganese, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, potassium, tryptophan, magnesium, protein, and vitamins A, B1, B2, and B6—all for 33 calories.
Cabbage comes in many forms, including green, red, Savoy (curly leaves), bok choy, and Napa or Chinese. Because only the outer leaves are exposed to the sun during the growing process, the inner leaves are paler, sometimes almost white. Red and green cabbages have the most distinctive tastes. If you’re looking for a more subtle flavor, go with Savoy. Bok choy has a higher concentration of vitamin A than other cabbages.
Look for a firm, dense head of cabbage, with no cracks or blemishes on the leaves. It will stay fresh in your refrigerator for one to two weeks. Once cabbage is cut, it begins to lose some of its vitamin C, so only buy a whole head. If you’re not going to use all of it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, store it in the refrigerator and then use it within a couple days.
Besides being the traditional accompaniment to corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day, cabbage is wonderful in many dishes. It’s a fantastic “filler” in stir fries, and is prominent in many Asian dishes. Make cabbage rolls by spooning a meat and rice filling into the leaves and baking them. Chop up red and green cabbage with carrots and toss with dressing for a quick and colorful cole slaw instead of potato salad at your next picnic. Braise red cabbage with apple for a hearty side dish. And it’s the traditional garnish for fish tacos, a warm weather favorite.
Talk it up:
Do you eat cabbage?
What’s your favorite way to enjoy cabbage?
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