Savoy cabbage

Origin & history

The German name goes back through northern Italian verza to Latin viridia, “the green stuff”; the botanical epithet sabauda and the English “savoy cabbage” both point to Savoy, where the crinkle-leaved form was described in the late Middle Ages. It reached Germany in the 16th and 17th centuries and long remained a vegetable of farmhouse winter cooking. The blisters and folds in the leaves arise because the tissue between the veins grows more strongly than the network of veins itself.

Varieties

Early savoy makes loose, light-green heads, grows fast and is not winter-hardy; winter savoy such as “Vertus” or “Winterfürst” has dark, heavily crinkled leaves and is bred to stand in the bed. It is worth reading that label closely — as young plants the two types look identical but behave completely differently. Both are available open-pollinated; savoy is not a purely F1 affair.

Care

Savoy is a hungry crop but takes less nitrogen than white cabbage — fed too richly the heads stay loose. Winter savoy has to be in the ground by early July, otherwise the head no longer closes before the days shorten. Leave the outer leaves on in autumn: they protect the heart from frost and always look battered anyway.

What can go wrong

The mealy cabbage aphid settles deep between the crinkled leaves and is practically impossible to wash out again — fine-mesh netting from planting day is the only reliable answer, and the stumps must come out in autumn so nothing overwinters. Slugs are especially fond of young savoy plants: pick them off during the first few weeks, after that the plant is tough enough. If the head stays open, either planting was too late or the spacing too tight.

Harvest, storage & kitchen

Cut it close to the ground and leave the coarse wrapper leaves in the bed. Whole leaves blanched for two to three minutes are the classic wrapper for stuffed cabbage rolls; the rest, cut into strips, needs only a few minutes in the pan because it cooks markedly faster than white cabbage. Savoy is poor at storing — two to three weeks in the cellar at most, so harvest it a head at a time as needed.

Frequently asked questions

When is savoy cabbage ready to pick?

Depending on variety and planting date, from the start of August to the end of November. A head is ready when it feels firm under thumb pressure and the outer leaves flare away. Savoy rarely splits, so it can happily stand a fortnight longer.

Can savoy cabbage overwinter in the bed?

Winter savoy is hardy and stands in the bed to the end of November, longer in mild spots. When a prolonged freeze is forecast it is better to cut beforehand, as heads frozen through go soft when they thaw. Early savoy, by contrast, is purely a summer crop.

When do you sow savoy cabbage and when does it go into the bed?

Sow from mid-March to the end of May and plant out from the start of May to the start of July, with about six weeks in the pot in between. The early batches give the summer heads from August, the late ones the late-autumn crop.

Can savoy cabbage be frozen?

Yes, and it is the most practical way to keep it. Blanch leaves or strips for two to three minutes, cool them in iced water, squeeze them out well and freeze in portions; the texture holds up and the colour does not turn grey.