Kem Ormond’s vegetable garden: Red cabbage tips and recipe for a healthy salad

Red cabbage is a great addition to any salad. Photo / Kem Ormond

Kem Ormond is a features writer for The Country. She’s also a keen gardener. This week, she’s writing about one of her favourite vegetables, the red cabbage.

OPINION

Red cabbage has always been a firm favourite with me, and over the years, I have grown some beauties.

In fact, I have always grown better red cabbages than greens.

I plant them as seedlings in autumn and let them sit quietly over winter.

Once spring arrives, they are off, and there is no stopping them.

If you are growing your cabbages from seed, it is best to sow them in a seed tray using a seed-raising mix, ensuring the seeds are kept damp and warm throughout their germination period.

Once they reach about 7cm in height, you can transplant them to your garden or pot.

They then need to be kept weed-free and will appreciate the odd feed with some organic seaweed food or the like.

Although many cabbage varieties do grow in summer, they are generally at their best in spring, autumn, and winter.

There are also red mini variety seeds available, and these would be perfect for anyone short on space or container growing.

I prepare the soil by adding some compost and digging it well.

Over the years, I have used my own compost, mushroom compost, or sheep manure. They have enjoyed the lot.

Plant cabbage in rows at least 50cm apart, and over the cooler winter months, I have used a cloche to keep them warm and frost-free, although they are hardy and do cope with the cooler weather far better than the heat.

Because these are planted over the cooler months, by the time they mature, the white butterflies have not arrived, so I rarely ever have problems as far as they are concerned.

The only pests I do need to keep an eye out for are small snails and slugs, who think they are a great treat.

Cabbages like to be planted in a sunny position that is partially shaded, and as summer approaches, make sure that they are kept watered.

You may run into them bolting if you try planting them in the heat of summer.

Cooking with red cabbage

Red cabbage can be used in cold or hot dishes.

Gone are the days when you just boiled and boiled cabbage.

It is lovely sautéed with butter, sprinkled with raw sugar and your best balsamic vinegar, and simmered gently until tender.

The sugar and balsamic vinegar give the sautéed cabbage a delightful sweet and sour glaze and will be a wonderful accompaniment to your pork chops or pork roast.

This will also work with duck or even venison nicely, too, and the colour looks great on the plate.

I make a wonderful red raw salad in which I include red cabbage, so this is one vegetable that is really versatile and well worth growing.

Recipe: Red raw healthy salad

Ingredients

¼ red cabbage, finely chopped

500 g beetroots, raw, peeled and grated

700 g carrots, peeled and grated

1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped

½ cup of raisins or cranberries

¼ cup sunflower seeds, toasted

¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

½ tsp salt

Dressing

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp honey

Method

To prepare the dressing:

1. Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Shake well to combine.

To prepare the salad:

1. Combine the red cabbage, beetroot, carrot, mint, raisins, seeds, and salt, and mix.
2. Pour over the dressing and toss.
3. Toss again when ready to serve.