The Return of SCS
December 11, 2006
6:22 p.m., MT

As a kid, I despised cabbage. Fortunately, my mom didn't make it often; but the things she did with it were unpalatable to me. The only way I could stand cabbage was shredded in salads, although I didn't know that's what that extra-crunchy lettucey stuff was, and as sauerkraut, if it was good 'kraut. Canned sauerkraut was never good 'kraut.

This past summer, I acquired a head of red cabbage, freshly harvested from an organic garden. Not knowing quite what to do with it, I found a recipe online that looked promising, and gave it a try. It was delicious! Buttery, mildly tangy and also mildly sweet, it convinced me that cabbage was worth adding to my diet.

So when I saw some enticing looking red cabbage at the grocery, I thought back to the summer's experiment and picked up the best-looking head I could find. I just finished making the recipe.

And it's awful. There's a pungent, sulphurous bite lurking after the first few chews. It looks as gorgeous as I remember, but try as I might to tweak it, I cannot mask or get rid of that nasty undertone. My guess is that freshness is very important to cabbages; and a supermarket cabbage can never match the freshness of a just-picked one.

I'm so disappointed. Stinky Cabbage Syndrome is back. And I don't know what I'm going to do with this big saucepan of inedible vegetable.

Sunni

Comments: 5 people have contributed to the conversation

On Monday, December 11th, at approximately 8:12 p.m. Mountain time, Jorge said:

Compost

You are right, freshness is a key. The cabbage we grow is wonderful, the stuff we get from the organic farmer's market is almost as good, from the supermarket, best not to buy.

On Monday, December 11th, at approximately 10:29 p.m. Mountain time, Kevin Carson said:

I've had the same experience with brussels sprouts. I never cared for them much growing up, because the taste was too strong/sulphurous. But when I grew them for myself and cooked them straight out of the garden, they were sweet and delicious.

On Tuesday, December 12th, at approximately 4:49 a.m. Mountain time, amagii said:

Would you be willing to share the recipe or recipes that have worked well with fresh cabbage?

On Tuesday, December 12th, at approximately 6:23 a.m. Mountain time, Sunni said:

Jorge, it has some butter in it, which I thought was not good to add to compost. Kevin, the only time I've had edible brussels sprouts was in France ... but I've been chicken about trying them here. All this is making me want my own garden again!

Amagii, I've not tried many recipes for cabbage, outside of cole slaw, that is. Here's the recipe I used for Norwegian red cabbage.

On Tuesday, December 12th, at approximately 7:08 a.m. Mountain time, Michael said:

Step 1: Dig hole in back yard.
Step 2: Bury cabbage in hole and salt earth.

Everyone's right on this one. Freshness is the key with any member of the cabbage family. But! Almost regardless of that time is the crucial factor with members of the cabbage family. The longer they are cooked the more hydrogen sulfide they give off. Minutes actually count here! The key with these are to cut them smaller and evenly and cook as fast as possible. Changing the time from 5 to 7 minutes with cabbage roughly doubles the amount of stench. Small pieces, quick cooking.
Remember, if it tasted sweet raw then it was OK going in. Speedy cooking is the key! Don't overcook cabbages.
On the freshness scene try calling the state Agriculture Department and see if there are any farms about that let you pick your own produce, they might be still be growing cabbages if the weather is good. Or check with the nearest organic produce store.

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