In addition to sharing my wisdom on how to sow and grow cabbage, I wanted to share my tips on how to harvest and store cabbage.
Harvesting Tips:
Depending on the type and variety of cabbage, it will typically mature between 55 days and 100 days.
The best time to harvest is in the morning or evening when it is cooler or when the sun is not intense.
You have two main choices: harvest the whole cabbage plant or the leaves as needed. I prefer to harvest as needed.
Storing Tips:
When I bring in cabbage leaves, I soak them in cool/cold water.
Next I spin them in a salad/lettuce spinner.
Store fresh cabbage in an airtight container. Less air the better. They should last a week or two.
If you want to cook with the cabbage at a later date, I would blanch the leaves whole or shredded , dry the leaves, individually freeze on a cookie sheet and store the cabbage leaves in an airtight container. Blanching means to put the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes and then ice water for the same amount of time. If you shredded the leaves, it won’t take too long to blanch. I would try 1 1/2 minutes.
You can use fresh or blanched and frozen cabbage leaves in soup, haluski and other cooked dishes. Don’t forget you can always use fresh cabbage leaves in coleslaw and salad. I love options!
