Monday 8 October 2012

Of Cabbages and Kales


Whilst I was thinking about what to write about the winding down of the gardening season - I had a wander round the 'net to see how Brassicas are represented in art - as you do - and found some wonderful paintings of Cabbages which I though I would share with you.
Green Cabbage - oil on linen
by
Jean Christofori Howton


Watercolour painting of Three Red Cabbages
by
Marilyn Z. Kahn
 
Ornamental Cabbage by Bonnie Haversat
I used to do quite a bit of painting myself and have to say I think these are wonderful representations of the vegetable.

Now - down to business.  As the vegetable garden is winding down the only crops, besides leeks and parsnips, are the brassicas.  I have planted plenty to see me through the winter - Savoy cabbage, January King, Scarlet Kale, Cavolo Nero Kale (if you look at the first illustration - top right, you will see it is called Dinosaur Kale), and Purple Sprouting Broccoli.  I have also just planted out Cauliflower and Spring Cabbage. I have to say that I love my greens.  I know it isn't the same for everyone, children in particular, and although I love the summer crops - beans etc.   In my book you just can't beat a good cabbage.


Savoy cabbage
 The original family name of brassicas was Cruciferae, which derived from the flower petal pattern thought by medieval Europeans to resemble a crucifix. The word brassica derives from bresic, a Celtic word for cabbage. The late Middle English word cabbage derives from the word caboche, meaning "head", from the Picard dialect of Old French. This in turn is a variant of the Old French caboce.
Scarlet Kale

Although cabbage has an extensive history, it is difficult to trace its exact roots owing to the many varieties of leafy greens classified as "brassicas". The wild ancestor of cabbage was originally found in Britain and continental Europe.  Nonheading cabbages and kale were probably the first to be domesticated, sometime before 1000 BC, and the Greeks and Romans had some variety of cabbage, although whether it was more closely related to today's cabbage or to one of the other Brassica crops is unknown.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli
During the 16th century, German gardeners developed the savoy cabbage.During the 17th and 18th centuries, cabbage was a food staple in such countries as Germany, England and Russia, and pickled cabbage was frequently seen.Saurkraut was used by Dutch sailors to prevent scurvy during long ship voyages.Jacques Cartier first brought cabbage to the Americas in 1541–42, and it was probably planted in what is now the United States by the early colonists, despite the lack of written evidence of its existence there until the mid-17th century. By the 18th century, it was commonly planted by both colonists and native American Indians.Cabbage seeds traveled to Australia in 1788 with the First Fleet, and were planted the same year on Norfolk Island. It became a favorite vegetable of Australians by the 1830s and was frequently seen at the Sydney Markets.

Cavolo Nero (Black) Kale
Most of the winter preparations have been completed - there is still a bit more to do but there is no hurry - plenty of time to get on with the mulching and spreading of manure.

The plot on Sunday - a foggy morning

23 comments:

  1. Elaine, I love the little History lessons you give us! We take so much for granted these days, and I think we should stop more often to consider the origins of things. I am a great fan of Brassicas, like you, but I read once that the amount of calories you get from eating a whole cabbage (how big??) would be outweighed by what you lost in preparing and eating it. What do you reckon? Is that likely?

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    1. I've checked it out Mark - a whole cabbage would be approx. 300 calories and you would have to run for 20 mins. to burn it off - so no it seems it isn't likely.

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  2. I love my greens, but unfortunately, I'm not growing any this winter. I did sow some brassicas but like most things this year, the seedlings got eaten by slugs and I just never got round to sowing more. Cabbage, kale and such things are the one type of veg which the whole family will eat.

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  3. We are currently eating Chard, Curly Kale, and Sprouts. Our Purple Sprouting usually turns up in March. My Cavolo Nero seeds didn't germinate this year.... so I'm going without.

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  4. Thanks for a wonderfully interesting and informative post. Flighty xx

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  5. Nice post Elaine would love to see some of your old or new paintings posted here, assume you don`t have the time now

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    1. You're right David - I don't have the time or the inclination any more. I sold all the good stuff - so don't really have anything to show for it.

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  6. I planted sprouts, calabrese and purple sprouting broccoli, and bought an expensive 1.5m high cage covered in butterfly netting to protect them all. The damn mice got in and had the lot.

    I then did a second sowing, most of which are currently languishing in pots in the greenhouse. Not sure what to do with them now. I don't think there is much point in putting them into the ground until I've (somehow) solved the mouse problem.

    Would they do anything growing in the greenhouse do you think?

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    1. Unless you put them in huge pots I personally don't think they will amount to much in the greenhouse. I would plant them outdoors and take your chances with the mice.

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  7. What a lovely post Elaine and so informative too. I certainly didn't realise there are so many different varieties of cabbages. Thank you.
    Patricia x

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  8. Cabbage are such beautiful plants and kale is so useful. The misty morning fog is a great photo.

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  9. I love red cabbage - I prematurely had to rescue mine from the caterpillars last week before they could do anything more than cosmetic damage. The paintings are beautiful and make me want to pick up a paintbrush (even though i've never done this sort of thing before!). I hope you enjoyed the sunshine after the mists cleared...

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  10. Your cabbages and kale are looking well. I'm seriously considering giving up on brassicas - if I don't net them the pigeons and caterpillars strip them clean, if I do the slugs finish them off, can't win! Maybe I'll just enjoy the pictures in your post instead.

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  11. The paintings are very pretty. I've always love the ornamental cabbage.
    Yours are still looking quite healthy. The wind down of the garden season is coming quite fast in my neck of the woods to.
    Hugs Rosemary...xo

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  12. I love those pictures! I happen to think that cabbages are very beautiful, both the blue-green and the purple ones, but most people seem to go "It's just cabbage!" like it's some inferior thing.

    We'll have to bring ours all in very soon; we've had some hard frosts and while they are very cold hardy vegetables, hard frost will turn them to mush.

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  13. Very interesting. Cabbage is by far my favourite vegetable and I have some savoys planted right now. The usual battle keeping slugs off.

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  14. I love the first image...it would make such a gorgeous print for the kitchen. It looks like it's one of a series of prints though and I wonder what the other ones look like.

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  15. Beautiful images. No over wintering brassicas for me this year, but I too love a good cabbage, and there are so many beautiful varieties, making them perfect for a veg plot that has to be ornamental as well as functional. Assuming no dreaded cabbage white, of course!

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  16. A very nice informative post Elaine. I love the green cabbage, oil on linen picture. It really depicts the hardiness of these plants. My over wintering cabbages need replanting at the moment but no luck this week again due to yet more rain.

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  17. A most interesting and informative post Elaine - thank you.I enjoyed the illustrations too. I've just bought a perennial kale which I hope will flourish for a few years :)

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  18. Love the paintings.
    I've got Kale on my plot and some purple sprouting broccoli but no cabbages. I never seem to get the timing right for sowing.

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  19. Lovely pictures. I've got some Kale, Cavolo Nero and broccoli this year and they're all doing really well. Must be the damper summer.

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  20. Really nice post Elaine. Loved the mixture of beautiful pictures and informative history. All I need to do now is successfully grow them!

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