White cabbage

Origin & history

All heading cabbages descend from the wild cabbage of the Atlantic coasts, a perennial cliff plant with no head at all; the heading forms are a medieval European breeding achievement. White cabbage became northern Europe’s winter vegetable through sauerkraut, because as kraut it kept for months without a cellar and without cooling. Dithmarschen in Schleswig-Holstein is still the largest contiguous cabbage-growing area in Europe.

Varieties

Early varieties make small, loose heads, taste tender and will not store; storage varieties need the whole season and grow hard and heavy in return. If you want to store it or make kraut, buy something explicitly sold as a storage or kraut cabbage — “Filderkraut” with its pointed head is the classic sauerkraut type. When buying young plants, short and sturdy is what counts: drawn, leggy plants never catch up.

Care

White cabbage takes up enormous amounts of water over the summer — one thorough soaking a week beats a little every day, which only keeps the roots shallow. About three to four weeks after planting, earth up: pulling soil against the stem gives stability and extra roots. When the heads start to close a second organic feed pays off, and yellowing bottom leaves come off so air can move through the row.

What can go wrong

Clubroot is the one problem you never get rid of again: swollen, distorted roots, plants that flag at midday, and a pathogen that stays in the soil for years. Only prevention helps — at least a four-year break for all brassicas, no acid soil, and a variety labelled clubroot-tolerant if in doubt. Netting reliably keeps the cabbage white butterfly out, but not the cabbage root fly if cabbage stood in the same bed last year: it then hatches underneath the net. Heads splitting after heavy rain can be prevented by giving a ripe head a quarter turn, which tears off part of the roots.

Harvest, storage & kitchen

A head is ready when it feels firm under thumb pressure; cut it with two or three wrapper leaves as protection. Storage cabbage comes in before the first hard frosts and keeps at 0 to 4 °C in a cool cellar into spring, best laid singly on a rack rather than stacked. For sauerkraut, shred the head finely, knead it with about 15 grams of salt per kilo until juice runs, and let it work under its own brine somewhere cool for four to six weeks.

Frequently asked questions

When is white cabbage planted out?

From the start of May until about 10 June, some six weeks after sowing in early March. Plant later and there will be no firm head by the August harvest — the plant needs a full summer to build up bulk.

Is white cabbage winter hardy?

Yes, the plant is hardy and survives frost in the bed. Even so, harvest still ends in late October: a head frozen right through turns glassy on thawing and will no longer keep. If you are storing, cut a few days early rather than late.

Why is my white cabbage not forming a head?

Usually space or water: closer than 50 cm apart it stays a loose rosette, and a dry spell while the head is forming stops it altogether. Planting too late is another cause, as is too much nitrogen, which gives you leaf instead of a head.

Can white cabbage be frozen?

Yes. Cut it into strips, blanch for two to three minutes, plunge into iced water, drain well and freeze in portions — it keeps about eight months that way. Frozen raw it turns watery and collapses as it thaws.