One in a series of columns co-written by Tony and Karen Russo, a father-daughter team and former owners of Russo’s in Watertown.
Cabbage is the often overlooked, underappreciated hard-working vegetable in the produce department. We had an entire section in our store devoted to varieties of cabbage, such as green, red, Savoy, Napa, Dutch, bi-colors and more. Customers bought them for soups, stir-fries, and salads, but they weren’t as enthusiastic about cabbage as they were about kale or even broccoli.
Once a year, though, on St. Patrick’s Day, cabbage finally receives its well-deserved attention.
Corned beef and cabbage is the traditional Irish American meal on March 17, but people from all nationalities celebrate the holiday. Nanny Russo created a peppery, crispy cornmeal bread with cabbage and prosciutto to mark the occasion. She used Savoy cabbage but, by far, the most popular holiday choice is the common green cabbage.
Truckloads of the leafy green are arriving in Boston for the celebrations. D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of Massachusetts sees an increase of 80 percent in sales in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
“Everyone’s buying cabbage now, even if they don’t want to,” said Jack Ford, a salesman for D’Arrigo’s, who admitted it’s not his personal favorite, either.
Retail stores create larger displays of green cabbage this time of year, and restaurants add it to their menu for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, contributing to the dramatic sales increase, Ford explained. He said that he notices more walk-in customers these days, and he said a local Irish club just purchased several cases of cabbage for an event.
D’Arrigo’s sells only green cabbage, most of which is grown in Georgia and Florida.
Hank Scott, owner of Long and Scott Farms, grows 350 acres of cabbage on his farm in Mount Dora, Fla.
A third-generation family farmer, Scott said his family has grown cabbage in the wintertime ever since the farm was founded more than 60 years ago. At our store in Watertown, we carried Scott’s excellent products from fall through spring, including okra, pickling cucumbers, and, of course, cabbage.
“Cabbage is like any other crop, it can’t have too much rain or too much heat,” said Scott. “It likes the colder weather.”
Scott said his farm is experiencing a greater increase in cabbage sales this year than in recent years.
“It used to be a big, big, big deal,” said Scott. “But the past five or six years, people cared more about green beer than green cabbage.”
The pandemic may have played a role in slowing down the enthusiasm for cabbage as restaurants remained closed. This year, however, something has changed, and cabbage is back in demand. It’s been so popular, Scott said, they actually sold out of it and have been harvesting seven days a week to keep up with orders.
In addition to sourcing cabbage from farms in the south, we also bought cabbage from Quebec.
“Where we are, climate-wise, is ideal for growing produce. It is a perfect mix of humidity, temperatures, and the product itself can hold year-round,” said Alex Bakakis, 37, who works in US Sales and Business Development of Thomas Fruits et Légumes, a family-owned produce wholesaler and distributor in Quebec. “We grow enough cabbage in Quebec that we could supply the entire country.”
Green cabbage is their most popular product, but they have a strong demand for red cabbage, flat cabbage, and Savoy, Bakakis said.
“If you look at cabbage, from my perspective, it’s such a plain-looking product, nothing is special about it. [But] it is such a universal item that you can use it virtually anywhere,” he said. “My family is Greek and a lot of Europeans use it as a staple for soups, stews, and cabbage leaves to wrap cabbage rolls.”
Kids, as many of us know, can be picky eaters. Bakakis said his daughters like the texture and crunch of the cabbage and add it to their salads.
“Red Cabbage makes everything really stand out and adds a nice punch to it,” he said.
While it’s not cabbage harvesting season in Massachusetts, we can still find locally grown stored cabbage through the Pioneer Valley Growers Association.
And this year, PVGA farmers will grow more cabbage than they have in recent history. The goal is for them to offer more locally grown products year-round.
“The every day normal cabbage will grow well for storage,” said Bill Barrington, general manager of the PVGA. “But there are varieties cultivated to bring out the best properties, such as leaf textures.” And those are the varieties that they hope to grow.
They might even add more red cabbage to the mix.
“The red faded away, but now it’s made a resurgence,” he said. “It’s at an all-time high popularity-wise in the past five years.”
Of course, not all the farmers want to grow cabbage.
“Nothing is easy to grow, let’s get that clear, especially in this climate these days,” said Barrington. “I think it varies from farm to farm, everybody has what they like to grow. Some people say I can’t grow cabbage and some say they love it. Some people say ‘It’s not that hard,’ and others say, ‘Keep it away from me!’”
When selecting cabbage for yourself, choose a head with big exterior leaves and a bright color. It should feel heavy and solid, not soft. In our home, cabbage is a popular vegetable. We create soups and stir-fry at least once a week, but you may try homemade sauerkraut and kimchi, too.
Karen and Tony Russo can be reached at kkrusso@gmail.com.