- Type
- Leafy Greens
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Season
- Spring·Fall
- Sowing
- Transplant
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea
Vitamin U and vitamin C in tightly layered leaves
Cabbage is a heading vegetable, its leaves wrapping layer over layer into a dense ball. The leaves carry vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fiber, and the characteristic aroma appears when glucosinolates break down as the leaves are cut or chewed. The sulfur compound first identified in cabbage juice and named vitamin U comes up often in talk about this vegetable, but it has nothing to do with preventing or treating disease. Cabbage likes cool weather, so it is grown in spring and autumn, and the raw leaves are shredded for salads or used as a fresh wrap.
Year-Round Calendar
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Where It Grows
- Main producer It produces nearly half of the world's output.
- Major producer Second in production. Grown on the northern plains during the cool winter.
- Major producer It stores well and is widely grown as a winter vegetable.
- Major producer Production is split between winter cabbage from Jeju and South Jeolla and summer cabbage from the highlands (cool upland farming) of Gangwon. Its high ranking in the statistics is because napa cabbage is counted alongside it.
- Major producer The summer cabbage of Tsumagoi in Gunma and the winter cabbage of Aichi are well known.
The crop originated from the wild cabbage of the Mediterranean and Europe's Atlantic coast, and since it cannot be pinned to any one country, no origin row is listed. It is the same species (Brassica oleracea) as broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, which were split off from it by human selection in Europe. Note — the FAO counts cabbage together with other brassicas as a single item, so napa cabbage and bok choy are mixed into the rankings. The figures for South Korea, China, and Japan in particular include a large share of napa cabbage.
- Optimum
- 15~20℃
- Range
- 5~25℃
- Hardiness
- Half-hardy
Cabbage is a cool-climate crop. Heads fill well at 15–20℃, and above 25℃ they fail to fill. Mature plants can withstand frost a few degrees below zero, but young seedlings exposed to prolonged cold will bolt, sending up a flower stalk instead of forming a head.
In Korea Nationwide
The coasts of Jeju and South Jeolla carry the winter crop and the Gangwon highlands the summer crop, keeping production going year-round. If water runs short while the heads are forming, they fail to fill.
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How to grow
- Light
- Somewhere sunny
- Soil and depth
- 30cm deep or more
- Spacing
- 45cm
- Watering
- Plenty. Dry weather while heading means a loose head
- Feeding
- Generous base dressing plus two feeds three weeks apart
- Harvest
- When the head feels firm. Leave it too long and it splits
What makes the difference. It takes up a lot of room. Better in open ground or a big box than a pot
Why this one is harder. Timing and caterpillar control decide whether you get a head, and it occupies the bed for months
Common problems
- Cabbage white caterpillars You will see Holes and green caterpillars What to do Netting is the only reliable answer
- Aphids You will see Clusters under the leaves What to do Wash off or use a soap spray
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
How the name vitamin U came about. Clinical research on fresh cabbage juice was published in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s, and in the course of it a sulfur compound in cabbage was given the name vitamin U. These were small, old studies, and nothing has been confirmed by large-scale clinical research since. They are not grounds that carry over to cabbage eaten as a food.
Glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. When cabbage is cut or chewed, its glucosinolates meet the enzyme myrosinase and turn into isothiocyanates such as allyl isothiocyanate. Sulforaphane, often mentioned alongside, comes from the glucoraphanin abundant in broccoli rather than from cabbage's main glucosinolates. The reaction itself is well established, and cell and animal studies have accumulated. That does not mean, however, that eating cabbage prevents any particular disease.
Where fiber and potassium stand. Composition analysis confirms that cabbage contains dietary fiber and potassium. Studies isolating cabbage alone to track blood pressure or blood lipids in people are scarce, so what can be said at present stops at composition.
Antioxidant measures. The antioxidant activity of flavonoids and sulfur compounds shows up as a number in test-tube measurements. What such a measure leads to inside the body is a separate question, and nothing has been confirmed in people.
I3C and DIM. I3C, formed when glucobrassicin breaks down, converts to DIM in the acidic environment of the stomach. Both compounds appear often in research on estrogen metabolism, but most of that work used cells, animals, or concentrated supplements, conditions that differ from cabbage eaten as a food.
Nutrition
- Vitamin U (methylmethionine) (a compound characteristic of cabbage) — a sulfur compound first identified in cabbage juice
- Vitamins C and K (present in the raw leaf) — the vitamin C falls with long storage and boiling
- Dietary fiber (abundant) — why cabbage is bulky for its calorie count
Glucosinolates Cabbage contains glucosinolates, the sulfur compounds common to the Brassica family, and glucobrassicin and sinigrin are known as its main forms. When the leaves are damaged these meet the enzyme myrosinase and break down into other compounds, which is where cabbage's characteristic pungent aroma comes from.
Isothiocyanates Among the isothiocyanates formed when glucosinolates break down, the one representative of cabbage is allyl isothiocyanate, which comes from sinigrin. The most heavily studied compound in the class is sulforaphane, which comes from the glucoraphanin abundant in broccoli; cell and animal work on it has accumulated broadly, but whether the same results appear when a person eats cabbage is a separate question.
Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) & diindolylmethane (DIM) I3C, formed when the glucobrassicin in cabbage breaks down, condenses into DIM in the acidic environment of the stomach. Both compounds appear often in research on estrogen metabolism, but most of that work used cells, animals, or concentrated supplements.
Vitamin K Cabbage contains vitamin K. Vitamin K is a nutrient discussed in relation to blood coagulation and bone metabolism. Cabbage is also eaten in fermented and pickled forms such as sauerkraut and pickled cabbage.
Vitamin C Cabbage is a leafy vegetable with a comparatively high vitamin C content. Sauerkraut retains its vitamin C relatively well after fermentation, and it appears in the records as a food carried aboard ship in the age of sail, when fresh vegetables were hard to come by.
Vitamin U (methylmethionine sulfonium) Vitamin U (methylmethionine sulfonium chloride), first identified in cabbage juice, is despite its name a sulfur compound that is not classified as an essential vitamin. The name dates from early US clinical research in the 1940s and 1950s, and nothing has been confirmed by large-scale research since.
Dietary fiber, folate & potassium Dietary fiber, folate and potassium are present in balance, components discussed in nutrition science alongside bowel motility, cell division and sodium excretion respectively. Cabbage is bulky relative to its calorie content, so it is widely used in everyday menus.
Anthocyanins The purple tone of red cabbage comes from anthocyanin pigments. Anthocyanins show high antioxidant activity in test-tube measurements, and a number of studies have accumulated on them in relation to blood vessels and inflammation.
Pairings
○ Sauerkraut, kimchi, and kimuchi — Fermenting cabbage with lactic-acid bacteria preserves its vitamin C while adding probiotic benefits. German sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, and Japanese kimuchi (the Japanese-style version of kimchi) all rely on the same principle, and each contributes to gut health and immunity.
○ Pork — Serving boiled cabbage alongside bossam (Korean boiled pork) or with cabbage kimchi is a classic at the Korean table. The fiber and vitamin U in cabbage help digest the fat in pork and ease the load on the stomach.
○ Sausage and bacon — Pairing sausage and bacon with sauerkraut is a staple across Germany and Eastern Europe. The tang and probiotics of fermented cabbage balance the heavy flavor of cured meats and aid digestion.
○ Olive oil and dressing — Coleslaw, made by shredding cabbage and tossing it with mayonnaise or an olive-oil dressing, is a Western salad standard. The fat boosts carotenoid absorption, while the acidity keeps the flavor bright and clean.
○ Apple — A slaw of shredded apple and cabbage brings together sweet, tart, and pungent notes in one classic combination. The pectin in apple and the fiber in cabbage together make it good for gut health, too.
○ Garlic and ginger — Stir-frying cabbage with the warming seasonings of garlic and ginger deepens the flavor and adds the antibacterial, digestion-aiding effects of allicin and gingerol. It's a pairing used widely across Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. Garlic · Ginger
△ Hypothyroidism — Eating large amounts of raw cruciferous vegetables like cabbage can partially interfere with thyroid hormone production, thanks to compounds called glucosinolates. If you have an underactive thyroid, it's safer to moderate your intake and eat cabbage cooked.
△ Blood thinners — Cabbage contains vitamin K, so if you take warfarin or another anticoagulant, suddenly eating much more—or much less—can throw off your medication's effectiveness. The safe approach is to keep your intake steady and consistent.
Varieties
- Green cabbage — the standard head cabbage; source of vitamin U
- Red cabbage — purple from anthocyanins; good for salads
- Brussels sprouts — small cabbages along the stalk; a fall crop
Source: Food and Nutrition Information