AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
For sale
Vegetables and nuts: arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, chicory, collards, cornmeal, endive, escarole, fennel, frisee, green onions, grits, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, Napa cabbage, pecans, polenta, popcorn, radicchio, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, tomatoes, turnips and greens, winter squash
From local reports
Rick Minter of Minter’s Farm in Inman in south Fayette County has been home to five generations of family farmers.
“My granddaddy bought it in its current configuration in 1936,” Minter said. “He grew cotton. Now my granddaughter makes the fifth generation working here. I started farming full time in 1979 or ‘80. My dad was a newspaper man, but we always had cows here. Then later I added Christmas trees, fruit trees, berries and lots of vegetables like kale, collards, radishes, turnips and arugula.”
Minter sells at the Wednesday and Saturday morning Peachtree City farmers markets where he also sells fresh eggs and homemade jams and jellies. He’s at the market year-round except during Christmas tree season when their choose-and-cut customers keep the family totally consumed in selling trees. The farm isn’t certified organic, but they grow as much organic as they can.
The farm is 55 acres and Minter farms about 10 acres of it at a time. One of his winter crops is cabbage, mostly the medium-size round Dutch type, and occasionally some red cabbage. “People like the red cabbage although we don’t sell as much of it as we do the green,” Minter said. “People do like anything with color though. Guess they know a balanced meal needs different colors on your plate.” He’ll grow 4,000 to 5,000 cabbage plants this year.
He finds cabbage transplants do better for him than when he tries to grow cabbage from seed. “We plant some around the first of September through early October to get us through the winter. Then we can have it at market when others don’t. We’ll plant again in late winter or early spring.”
He’s learned a few tricks in his years of growing cabbage. One is to put two plants in the same hole, side by side. “The cabbage heads tilt away from each other as they grow,” he said. “Since they’re not facing straight up, that seems to keep them from getting damaged by heavy frost.”
It takes about 70 days from planting to get a decent-size head. “Our customers tend to pick our smaller heads so we like to cut it when it’s no bigger than a dinner plate. Some even like the really little sprouts.”
Trying to grow cabbage organically can be a challenge.
“You have to stay on top of your worm control. If the worms get a head start on you they’ll make a big mess,” Minter said. You just can’t get them out once they get started. The problem seems to be worse with cabbage grown in the spring.”
Minter’s favorite way to enjoy cabbage at home is his wife’s stir-fried cabbage recipe where it’s cooked almost to the point of being burnt. “It’s really good like that. But slaw is good, too.”
His top recommendation to his customers is to eat the cabbage, like all freshly harvested vegetables, as soon as they can. “Cabbage will keep a long time without losing a lot, but the quicker you eat it the better it’s going to taste. Taste one that was cut this week against one that was cut weeks ago, and you can absolutely tell the difference,” he said.
St. Cecilia’s Cider-Cream Braised Cabbage
St. Cecilia’s executive chef Craig Richards created this silky cabbage dish as an accompaniment for roasted black cod with a smoked soy-cider glaze and Umbrian lentils. When preparing it, be sure not to heat the sauce beyond a simmer or you’ll curdle your sauce.
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
4 cups apple cider
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Pinch caraway seeds
1 head green cabbage, cored, outer leaves removed, cut into 8 wedges (about 3 1/2 pounds)
Chives or Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish
In a large, heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook them for 1 minute. Add cider and cream and bring to a simmer. Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and caraway seeds and another pinch of salt and simmer 3 minutes.
While sauce is simmering, season cabbage wedges liberally with salt and pepper. Add cabbage to cider mixture and simmer for 45 minutes or until cabbage is very tender. Taste sauce for seasoning. Serve cabbage warm with cider-cream sauce spooned over. Garnish with chopped chives or Italian parsley. Serves: 8
Per serving: 361 calories (percent of calories from fat, 66), 4 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 28 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 82 milligrams cholesterol, 62 milligrams sodium.
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