It might look a little worse for wear. But it's what's inside that matters! This is just one of my many red cabbage heads I managed to get this year. Now, I walk past these beautiful purple clumps in my hallway every day and dream about how I'm going to cook them. Winter and red cabbage is a match made in heaven!

These particular cabbages come from a winter sowing I did last year in a plastic crate. I forgot which variety I used, but I'm guessing it's probably Amager 304. This variety has been very productive these past few years.

These beautiful red cabbage heads are such a joy to look at. Every single one is unique.

This year, I decided not to grow an early red cabbage variety and went for a later one that's easier to store. After all, we have so many other cabbage options earlier in the year that it feels unnecessary to grow both early and late red cabbages. I don't mind growing the red pointed cabbage Kalibos though, but this is technically not a regular red cabbage.

I grew all of these cabbages in a mulched bed. I've kept on adding more and more mulch and the plants looked great all year long. Funnily enough, we didn't even have that many issues with cabbage moths or Spanish slugs. Grey garden slug is another story though...

Red Cabbage or White?

Red cabbage is for sure my favorite type of cabbage in winter. I prefer it over both regular white cabbage and pointed varieties. The lovely color just makes me feel so happy! I often use it for salads, coleslaw or a gratin.

I don't really have to stay on top of things with these cabbages either and can for example wait a while before I harvest them. It usually just happens when it happens! This time, I decided to do it in November after a few nights of frost. I actually kept them outdoors right next to my house up until a few days ago. The cabbage heads look great despite the freezing temperatures this past week. Of course, I'm going to remove the outer leaves if they start to look bad, but the inside is perfectly crispy and fresh. I actually kept my red cabbages outside in my polytunnel until New Year's last winter. It worked really well!

You can see the row of cabbages to the left. I just love the color!

More About Cabbage

My favorite dish right now is shredded red cabbage and apple mixed with cottage cheese or yogurt. On traditional Swedish crispbread. Delicious!

I know that plenty of you want to know more about cabbage and how to grow it at home. Luckily, I've written a lot about cabbage these past few years! Check out the blog for some of my favorite articles and recipes, or visit my YouTube channel and search for Cabbage. Good luck growing red cabbage at home!
/Sara Bäckmo