Chocolate Rum Dates
20 fresh dates
1 block good dark cooking chocolate
4 tb rum
Cut
dates in half; remove stone. Place in a jar with the rum. Put the lid on; leave
for 48 hours, shaking now and then.
Melt
chocolate in microwave or in a bowl over simmering water- don't over cook it!
Dip dates in melted chocolate. Lick fingers. L:eave to set- not in the fridge
as chocolate goes grainy. Store in a sealed jar out of temptation. have
absolutely no idea how long they
last, because every batch
has been eaten as soon as I brought them out, even by people who swear they
hate dates but will just try one.....
Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
9 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into quarters
150 gm dark chocolate
1 carton cream 425 ml
4-6 tb rum
125 gm brown sugar
1 tb butter
3 eggs
Place
cream, sugar, butter, chocolate and rum in abowl over hot water in saucepan.
heat and stir till choc melted.
Take
off heat; beat in eggs.
Take
an oven proof dish; put in a layer of bread, layer of choc mix, layer of bread,
layer of choc mix.
Now
either cover with clingfilm and elave in the fridge overnight or for up to 48 hours- really gets the chocolate
into the bread.Then remove clingfilm and bake as below.
Or
bake at once at 200C for half an hour- pud will be firm and slightly browned
and crunchy on top. if still liquid cook a little longer.
eat
with more cream and masse of icecream. Note: this is VERY rich so you don't
need a large helping; that way you can eat the leftovers for breakfast and
climb Mt Everest by morning tea.
Apple Pancakes
1 cup S.R. flour
quarter cup castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
three quarters of a cup milk
1 cup grated apple
Mix
all in a bowl slowly so it doesn't get lumpy.
Heat
a frying pan; when hot add a spoonful of butter, marg or use a non stick
pan.Turn heat down to medium.
Scoop
in tablespoonsful of the mix; when bubbles appear turn over till brown on the
other side.
Note: if it's black before bubbles form, turn heat right down.
Serve
hot or cold. I like them with just a sprinkle of lemon juice; Bryan likes his
with lemon juice and brown sugar; also good with butter, or plain, or even jam
and cream, or served hot for
dessert with icecream.
Welsh cakes
250 gm butter
500 gm self raising flour
200 gm castor sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla essense
300 gm currants
Rb
fat into flour; then add other ingredients. Mix well with your fingers. Roll
out on a floured board and cut out neat rounds with a glass, or pinch out
teapoonsful and press flat with your fingers. If the mix is too dry and crumbly
add more butter. (Some margerines are 'whipped', so that they contain a lot of
air, so you may need about 20% more for cooking)
Fry on a greased/buttered pan or no stick pan for about three minutes each side on a low
heat- each side should be just
brown. Store for months in a sealed container.
Note: the origional recipes used lard; honey or no sweetening or vanilla and plain flour, but self
raising flour gives a lighter result
Passionfruit and Mango Cordial
ps you need a funnel to get the cordial into the bottles or the cordial will go
everywhere
2 large mangoes, chopped but not peeled
20 passionfruit, cut in half
juice of 20 lemons
3 kiloes sugar
12 heaped teaspoonsful tartaric acid
water
Throw
everything except the sugar in a large pot. Cover with water. Simmer for half
an hour. Add sugar. Boil 10 minutes. Strain and bottle while hot. Throw scraps
to the chooks.
The
cordial will be deep orange in the bottle, but only pale orange in the glass.
Despite the pale colour it's still wonderfully flavoured- just doesn't have to
artificial colour we're used to. Don't worry about the mango and passionfruit
skins- they add more flavour.
The March Garden
What to do in March
Everything: April is about the perfect month to garden- no hot wind like the
breath of hell, no frozen fingers, and the weeds have stopped growing so fast
you wonder if they're about to strangle you in bed. Start new beds, plant
shrubs, build steps or a
lilypond.....you won't find a better time for garden fantasies till spring.
Buy: Lots of spring bulbs. Look for heat-hardy Paperwhite or Erlicheer jonquils
and King Alfred daffodils and freesias, mini gladdies, ixias and ranunculi that
will grow anywhere. French tulips
- no relation except I love the things - are the best tulip for warmer
climates. Remember - DON'T plant bulbs in small pots, or they'll be one day
wonders, flowering one day, dead the next. Plant bulbs in the coolest soil around, not near hot walls
or terraces.
Plant: Cuttings of lavender,
wormwood, daisies and native shrubs.
Divide: Clumps of perennials like agapanthus, red-hot pokers, Easter daises,
salvias, chives: any clump which just gets bigger and bigger. Dividing clumps now will give you more
plants, plus more flowers - big clumps often stop blooming in the middle. Use a
spade and commonsense ie slice, pull apart, and plant.
Feed: Winter flowering shrubs or
annuals; but don't feed any plant that might be cut by frost, as tender new
growth is more easily burnt!
...
and take a deep happy breath of flowers and fresh grass, because most gardens
won't look as good again till next November.
It's time to grow:
Flowers: white and purple alyssum, calendulas, poppies, pansies, primulas,
violas, wallflowers
Frost free areas only: coleus, gerberas, nasturtiums, petunias, zinnias
Veg: broad bean seed, broccoli, caulflower and cabbage seedlings, winter
lettuce seedlings, radish, spinach.
Frost-free areas only: any veg you can get your hands on!
PS Many charts will tell you you
can plant carrots, silver beet and beetroot in cold weather. It's true these aren't killed by
frost, but they don't grow much in
cold weather - and then go to seed as soon as spring warms up! Grow veg that will really DO something instead.
Tip: Plant a
row of garlic chives along your flower bed. You'll get
bright mauve pompoms in summer, plus garlicky green leaves to chop into
salads, casseroles etc all winter. Once the clumps thicken up they'll help keep
grass out of the garden too.
How to Grow Cabbages, Caulies, Brocolli etc for Winter
Cabbages (Also cauliflowers,
broccoli and brussel sprouts.)
Cabbages are an annual. Broccoli,
caulies and brussel sprouts are biennial though can become short lived
perennials if you stop them going to seed.
When to sow:
Tropical areas
Cabbage: Feb - November.
Broccoli: May - June.
Brussel Sprouts: Not suitable as
they become puffy.
Cauliflower: Feb - April.
Subtropical areas
Cabbage: All year - choose
varieties carefully for hot weather.
Broccoli: All year - choose
varieties carefully for hot weather.
Brussel Sprouts: Not suitable as
they become puffy.
Cauliflower: Jan - April.
Temperate areas
Cabbage: July - March.
Broccoli: Late December - May.
Brussel Sprouts: Late December -
March.
Cauliflower: Late December -
March.
Cool areas
Cabbage: August - March.
Broccoli: October - February.
Brussel Sprouts: September -
February.
Cauliflower: September - January.
Seed germinates: Between 4 - 24 C
but is best sown when the temperature is over 16 C.
Seeds emerge: 6 days.
Time until first picking
Cabbage: 8 -16 weeks.
Broccoli:12 - 16 weeks.
Brussel Sprouts: 16 - 20 weeks.
Cauliflower: 14 - 26 weeks.
Number of plants needed for a family of four.
This
is difficult. You may eat 100
cabbages a year - but if they all crop in a one month period you may only eat a
small fraction of your crop. Try
staggering your cabbages, sowing no more than a dozen at once. In cool areas if
your cabbages are going to mature in cool to cold weather, they'll keep for
months - so you can plant as many as you think you'll eat in winter and spring.
Broccoli
is easier. About a dozen plants -
well fed - will feed a family of four - or two dozen if, like us, you like
broccoli. Plant more every few
months if the climate allows, so you get new luscious heads as well as the smaller
regrowth.
About
half a dozen brussel sprouts plants should be enough. (But I am biased - I don't really like brussel sprouts
except stir fried with almonds and olive oil). I like to have a cauli maturing every week - so that is fifty two a year, but you will
have to stagger the plantings carefully.
Essential points: Grow the
best variety for your climate and time of year. Protect from caterpillars. Feed
well.
There
is an enormous feeling of security in the sight of a garden filled with
cabbages. They are perhaps the
most domestic vegetable, giving a feeling of comfortable solidity. In fact I'm not all that keen on
cabbages - or any of the brassicas - it's just I wouldn't feel right if I
didn't grow them and eat one of them at least every two days with dinner. This affection for the cabbage family
is probably something ingrained - part of the genes from innumerable cabbage
eating ancestors.
The
cabbage family has been one of the vegetable basics for centuries. It was loved
by the ancient Romans and worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. Given cabbage's medical properties -
see below - they may have had good reason.
Cabbage
was probably domesticated from wild kale by the ancient Celts. The Romans selected and developed ever
more varieties. Brussel sprouts were developed about 200 years ago in Belgium;
broccoli was first produced about 150 years ago in an Italian market
garden. It was a deep purple at
first then the green we know today.
Cauliflower is much older - beloved like cabbage in ancient Rome but
originally domesticated - again from kale - in ancient Syria. The name cauliflower comes from cole -
or kale - flower, as it's the early flower curd that's eaten.
Like most cottage staples cabbages
should be incredibly hardy, and extraordinarily prolific. In Australia, however, cabbage growing
has two drawbacks - it's often too hot to grow good ones (even 'cool weather' may have unseasonably
hot days) - and our long seasons mean hatching after hatching of cabbage eating
caterpillars.
The
three rules for good cabbages (or broccoli, cauliflower etc) are:
. Plant them to mature in cool
weather for the best tasting, firmest vegies - either late summer, autumn,
winter or early spring
. Feed them well. Brassicas 'sulk' if they're not fed properly. I've had starved
cabbages in a patch of the garden do nothing for two years - then suddenly
decide to heart when I hadn't even bothered to look at them for months. (You
can in fact make use of this sulking habit - plant four seedlings together - the
'dominant' seedling will mature - but the others will wait till they have room
and inclination - this is an easy way to stagger your crop with one planting.
Never plant a clump - or even worse - a row of cabbages. Don't plant them on the outskirts of
the garden either. If you grow too
many brassicas together it becomes a feast for the pests. Break them up with other plants.
When to plant
See
above - but remember that even if you get a crop in hot weather, it won't taste
as good as one harvested in the cool of the year. MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE THE
RIGHT VARIETY FOR YOUR AREA AND TIME OF YEAR.
Timing
is everything with brassicas. Look
carefully at when they will mature so you don't get a glut of them. I try to time my brassicas to mature in
early autumn, so we eat them all through winter and spring - then we forget
about them for the rest of the year, except for the odd caulie and broccoli head and cabbage for coleslaw
or stuffed cabbage. Actually, come
to think of it, we eat quite a lot of brassicas all year round - but we really
gorge on them in winter.
One
way to stagger your plants is to plant more when they are about as tall as your
hand. Another way is to plant
different varieties with different maturing times so you get a long cropping
period from one planting.
Feeding Your Cabbages, Caulies and other Brassicas.
If
you don't feed your brassicas they sulk - and you get a poor crop, or none at
all.
Brassicas
need lime, dolomite or wood ash in acid soil; they don't mature well in very
acid soil or where the soil is deficient in calcium.
As most brassicas are slow growers they
do well with a rich mulch that will provide nutrients all through their growing
cycle, with a scatter of hen manure, blood and bone or soluble fertiliser when
the plants are small if the soil is poor.
An old fashioned method of growing brassicas was to fill a trench with
half sand and half rotted compost or manure and plant the brassicas on top.
Brassicas
may fail to produce heads if the soil is deficient in calcium; they may turn
slightly purple if they lack phosphorus; won't thrive with a lack of magnesium;
and thin or twisted yellowed leaves and general poor growth and lack of
hearting is usually due to
molybdenum deficiency and is most common in caulies but can occur with brussel
sprouts and to a lesser extent with all other brassicas. One ounce of molybdenum dissolved in
hot water used as a foliar spray for every ten square yards of seedlings is
effective. I use a green
manure comfrey spray every day for a fortnight for a green foliar spray as long
as I'm sure the leaves (ie the ones that have gone into the spray) aren't from
a molybdenum scarce area. Leaves from old healthy caulies from
the supermarket are a good source of a molybdenum rich material to use for a green
foliar spray, or buy the trace element from your garden centre.
Remember
with broccoli that the more you pick the heads the more you will have to feed
the plant. I have harvested one
broccoli plant for more than three years, picking the tiny heads every day -
they toughen if you leave them any longer and let them flower. I fed the plant the best mulch I had -
old lucerne that had been trodden and manured by chooks - and it kept producing
wonderfully till we went on holidays and it went to seed. Old manure makes a good broccoli
mulch. As an alternative a scatter
of hen manure or blood and bone every fortnight.
An
old way to grow brussel sprouts was to fill a trench with comfrey leaves, top
with soil, leave for three weeks then plant the brussel sprout seedlings in the
now sunken trench. Gradually fill
the trench with a mulch of compost or old animal manure or more wilted comfrey
leaves. This is a lot of work but you do get a wonderful crop of brussel
sprouts, possibly because the roots are well aerated as well as fed. Otherwise give a light dressing of
nitrogen rich fertiliser like hen manure, blood and bone or any of the quick
fixes every two weeks till sprouts begin to form. Then stop.
Brussel
sprouts are shallow rooted and a thick mulch is a good way to avoid moisture
stress.
Cabbages
like limed soil, but dolomite is better than lime as it can correct any
tendency to magnesium deficiency.
Wood ash will also make soil more alkaline and help relieve potash
deficiency. Cabbages can be sown into
a compost filled trench or a mulch of old animal manure suits them
perfectly. In the absence of
manure use the best mulch you have, with a dose of liquid manure or blood and
bone, hen manure etc once a week.
Early maturing varieties seem to need more fertilising than slower
maturers, possibly because they don't have their large root systems. Cabbages
need to be watered regularly, especially if they aren't mulched; alternating
wet and dry will cause their heads to crack.
Cabbages, caulies et al as herbicides.
Brassicas
going too seed inhibit the germination of seeds around them and the growth of
other plants. I make use of this
by letting a plot of brassicas go to seed in spring - then hauling them out two
months later. The result is a
nearly weed free bed for early summer planting - and the massive roots have
'dug' the soil.
The
above may all sound complicated. In reality, if you have good soil and good
cultivation practice, the only trick with brassicas is to know when to plant
them and what varieties suit your area and the time of year you want to plant.
That's mostly a matter of peering over your neighbour's shoulders and seeing
what works for them - and looking through
seed catalogues for appropriate varieties, rather than choosing the mass produced seedlings so often sold
by nurseries, that are almost suitable for most areas - but really suitable for
none.
Companion Planting for Cabbages and other Brassicas
The
main reason for using companion planting with your brassicas is to disguise them
so aphids and caterpillar producing butterflies won't find them.
Cabbage grown with red or white clover
between the rows has fewer aphids and fewer cabbage white butterflies, partly
due to camouflage but also partly due to an increase in pest eating predators,
especially ground dwelling beetles and wasps. Try mowing your
patch of clover very short, planting the seedlings in a long narrow trench
(this is an exception to not
planting in rows), then mulching them well to suppress the clover immediately around
each seedling. Mow just either
side of the trench - but let the rest flower.
The
bacteria associated with the clover roots will also add nitrogen to the soil as
the mown clover decomposes.
Lots
of flowering weeds around the vegie garden will cut down the number of aphids
on brassicas, by attracting predators who love the flowers, and who may also
prefer to lay their eggs on the weeds.
Try
a trap crop of brassicas gone to
flower: aphids seem to prefer these plants and cabbage white butterflies
may feed on the flowers then lay their eggs on the leaves - and leave your
seedlings alone.
The
scents of cabbages and tomatoes grown together help mask each other, and will
reduce the number of aphids and, to a much lesser extent, cabbage white or
cabbage moth caterpillars.
Other
ways of discouraging butterflies include interplanting crops that disguise the
smell or shape of the brassicas - the more plants the more disguise - and the
fewer caterpillars. It's an almost
direct correlation. Ten disguise
plants to one cabbage will give you only a tenth of the caterpillars - more or
less (hopefully less) depending on the disguise value of the other plants and
the variety of the cabbages, the time of year and many other variables -
including what weeds and other crops are grown nearby,.
If
nematodes are a problem try growing mustard in between the rows or grow mustard
before the brassicas and slash it for mulch. Keep up levels of organic matter in the soil to encourage earthworms, mycelium webs and
other ways of destroying young nematodes.
Grow comfrey nearby for free
good quality mulch.
What Can Go Wrong
Pests
find their food supply in two ways - either by scent or appearance - often by
silhouette. Brassicas have a very
distinctive shape. The more you interplant your cabbages, the less of a pest
problem there'll be.
This
year, for example, I've got one
lot of broccoli planted on the terrace by the kitchen. It's an almost complete failure - the
shapes are very visible to any pest that flutters by - and another lot
disguised among parsnips and dahlias.
They're doing fine - even though they are only a few metres away.
If
you are really worried by caterpillars, MAKE SURE YOU LET A FEW BRASSICAS GO TO
FLOWER.
Most
pests are lazy - they'll lay their eggs where they feed. If you let a few broccoli plants flower
- they'll last for years if you keep snipping them - you'll find most of the
eggs are laid on them, after the butterflies have fed on the nectar from the
flowers.
Our
best defence here are the annual wild turnip weeds. They flower through most of
summer - and their presence is enough to protect the cabbage crop nearby.
Other brassica problems
Spindly broccoli.
This
has been starved. Feed the poor
thing and it'll feed you. (old hen manure etc is excellent - broccoli need more
nitrogen than other brassicas, as they give more crop per plant if you keep
harvesting the heads.)
Don't
just pick the central broccoli head.
The more you pick your broccoli the more you'll get. The heads will be progressively
smaller, but there'll be more and more of them. I once kept a
broccoli plant going for three years. Then I went on holiday and the whole lot went to seed, and
toughened. By then it was
enormous. At the moment we've got
rather dwarf looking cabbages that we've been harvesting for two and a half
years. They produce small, brussel
sprout like heads at irregular intervals.
Puffy Brussel Sprouts.
If
your brussel sprouts aren't firm it's either too hot or you used too much
nitrogen to feed them (mulch instead for both problems). In a trial plot here, compost fed
sprouts planted at the same time as urea fed sprouts yielded an excellent crop
- the urea fed crop gave a few puffy blobs then went to seed.
Puffy or Gone-to-Seed Cabbage
Cabbage
can be sown at any warm time of the year, though the firmest heads come from
cabbage planted after Christmas for autumn winter and spring. Cabbage can go to seed quickly in hot
weather. Pick cabbages as soon as the head seems to elongate - at this stage
it's getting ready to burst to seed.
Puffy cabbage have had too much nitrogen and too much heat and water.
Give a more balanced feed, especially if you like summer cabbage.
Like
brussel sprouts, compost fed cabbage tolerates extremes more than cabbage fed
on a high nitrogen fertiliser. If
you must use a high nitrogen fertiliser like Dynamic Lifter or hen manure, try
to give a fortnightly dose of liquid foliar seaweed spray to help check
nutritional imbalances.
Purple or Tough Cauliflower
Summer
caulies turn purple and become tough.
Wrap the outer leaves around them to keep them soft, white and tender
(sounds like a detergent commercial for your hands). New varieties don't have enough leaves to wrap round the
heart - avoid them. Beware of 'miracle maturers', too -
caulies that are supposed to heart early.
Most I've tried here have matured at the same rate as the non-hybrids -
but only with enormous quantities of fertiliser and water. They don't hold as well as old
fashioned 'Paleface' either.
Try
cutting off the head of the cauliflower - don't pull the whole thing up. Small
heads should then form around the stalk.
These can be eaten too.
Once the stalk starts to rot, though, remove it - it will inhibit other
plants.
Aphids.
Plant
the caulies, cabbages etc later - you have probably planted them too
early. Add potash to the soil with
wood ash, comfrey or compost. Hose
them strongly or make a spray of
glue and water to suffocate them.
Molybdenum deficiency
This mostly affects cauliflowers but
other brassicas can also suffer.
Plants are stunted and yellow, with thin or distorted leaves and may not
produce worthwhile sprouts or centres.
Most Australian soils are at least
slightly molybdenum deficient.
Compost made from
molybdenum deficient material will also be deficient.
The
traditional cure is molybdate dissolved in hot water used as a foliar
spray. Make a molybdenum spray by
soaking comfrey or cauliflower leaves from the greengrocer in water till it
turns pale green. Spray morning and dusk for three days then weekly.
Magnesium deficiency
Cabbages are susceptible to magnesium
deficiency. The most obvious
symptom is brittle areas between the veins.
Give
each plant a teaspoon full of dolomite, well watered in. Try foliar sprays if the plants are large.
Phosphorus deficiency
Cabbages
are pale and don't last.
Add
ground rock phosphate or old hen manure.
Potash deficiency
Brittle
areas round the leaves.
Sprinkle
wood ash and water well. Try a
foliar spray for a short term solution.
Black cabbage rot
Leaves develop v-shaped brown patches
that become thin and brittle.
Affected seedlings often die.
Practice crop rotation making sure that
you clear all infected material from old crops. Cover ground with clear plastic for three weeks after an infection.
Most good compost will inhibit black cabbage rot, especially if made with
lucerne hay. A double strength
garlic spray or chive spray may help.
Cabbage white butterfly, cabbage moth caterpillars.
Skeletonised foliage; young plants may be eaten to the
ground.
Surround
the beds with strongly perfumed herbs like lavender, or interplant with almost
any other crop - the more interplanting the smaller your problem will be. The moths and butterflies recognise
their food supply by the scent and silhouette - if you can disguise the
cabbages et al you'll protect your crop.
It
is also a good idea to always leave some brassicas from last season going to
seed - or plant some specially for that purpose six months before. The adults feed on the brassica blossom - then lay their eggs on the leaves
below, ignoring your seedlings. Wild brassica weeds are also good 'trap crops'
- I once grew commercial crops with no other protection than gone to seed
brassicas and turnip weed nearby.
Once
the caterpillars are attacking the plants, try squashing them. This seems laborious, but is actually
much faster than you'd think. The squashed - stationary - caterpillars attract
birds, wasps and other predators to feed on them - and they will start eating
the live ones too. Encourage a
good weed or bush community around
your garden so you always have plenty of caterpillars around - and the
predators to eat them. This will eliminate the lag between pest and predator
build up.
Empty
egg shells in the beds may sometimes outfox the butterflies as to their
population density. Strips or beds
of white clover around or between the crop may also deter them.
Try
tansy antifeedant - just cover tansy with boiling water, cool, strain and
spray. As a final resort, spray
with DIPEL or derris. Make sure
that you spray or dust the undersides of leaves as well as tops, as this is where the young caterpillars will be
hiding.
Try
flour first. This is a caterpillar
stomach poison. It will take three or four days to be effective, however, and
may be washed off before enough is eaten.
Mix
flour and boiling water to a bill sticker's paste, then add more water and spay
that. Glued up bugs stop eating -
and are easy for predators to find.
Try
DIPEL as the next resort, or clay spray (this is just clay and water - no dirt,
though), bug juice or white pepper spray. (White pepper spray will slightly
dehydrate the caterpillars. Most
will die; the rest will be easy prey for birds etc).
You
might also try dusting the leaves with powdered rock phosphate for the same
effect. If these fail try wormwood
spray, garlic, quassia, or dusting or spraying with derris. These are all last resorts, though, as
they all kill non target species.
Caterpillar trap
This may be useful for large infestations where caterpillars denude one plant
then move on to the next. Place a
small three sided box at the base of plants - about 10 mm high. Place a scatter
or lime or wood ash inside. The caterpillars should shelter there during the
day and dehydrate. A scatter of wood ash around plants also stops migration.
Note:
While the cabbage moth is quite different from the cabbage white butterfly -
it's greyish brown and hairy
with yellow diamond shaped
markings when the wings are folded - the caterpillars of both are easily
confused. Both are green and both
devastate cabbages, cauliflowers and similar crops. Cabbage moth caterpillars however are a clearer green than
cabbage white caterpillars and lack the velvety appearance and yellow stripe.
In
terms of garden control however the difference is slight. Cabbage moths also
lay their eggs on the underside of leaves. The cabbage moth caterpillar tends to eat towards the heart
of the vegetable and may cause even more damage than the cabbage white.
Like
cabbage whites, the cabbage moth caterpillars are predated by a range of
imported wasps - different ones
from the cabbage white's.
Native wasps don't appear to be so particular and I have noticed two
species here that will carry off either.
The same range of birds also appears to attack both.
Yellow or purple cauliflower heads.
These have been exposed to too much
direct sunlight. Curl the leaves over while they are maturing.
Loose broccoli heads
Pick
them sooner, grow in cooler weather or choose a heat resistant variety.
Clubroot
Roots are large and knobby; plants may
wilt, especially in hot weather, die or just grow slowly.
Protect your crop from nematodes with a
companion crop of crotalaria or
mustard. Keep up levels of organic
matter, especially in sandy areas where clubroot is worst. YOU MUST ALWAYS HAVE ORGANIC
MATTER STEADILY DECOMPOSING ON TOP OF THE SOIL TO CONTROL CLUBROOT.
Try barriers of old tin cans with tops
and bottoms cut out as 'root guards'.
Add a sprinkle of lime or dolomite to the soil to reduce acidity. Practice stringent crop rotation - at least four years before any of the
cabbage family, swedes or turnips are grown in that spot.
Slugs
Slugs
love cabbages. Put a sharp collar
made from an old tin can lid around each cabbage stalk or even a ring of much crinkled alfoil. Drizzle derris
spray through the leaves, so it penetrates as much as possible - but wash very
well before using as the derris may not break down as quickly in the shelter of
the cabbage leaves. See 'Snails
and slugs'.
Types of Cabbage
Chinese cabbage
This
can be grown at any time of the year; it matures very quickly. It makes a leafy but quite good
coleslaw.
Red Cabbage
(eg Red Acre)
These
are usually large and are best planted in mid summer to mature in winter and
spring. They make excellent
coleslaw.
Red Cabbage Salad
This
is simply made as follows: Dress
your finely chopped red cabbage with a very little sesame oil and soy sauce (a
teaspoon of each is plenty for three cups of cabbage); then dust with toasted sesame
seeds.
Savoy (eg
Carter's Improved)
This
is the crinkly cabbage - it is leafier and tenderer than most cabbages - and
also less strongly 'cabbagey' in flavour so a much more seductive veg than
ordinary cabbage.
Drumhead
These
are the big, solid cabbages - the sort you'd feed to a draught horse. They need
to be sliced very finely for coleslaw or other salads or they are too tough.
Sugarloaf
These
small, conical cabbages are 'one meal' cabbages. They also need to be sliced
very finely and can be tough, though they are generally sweeter than the large
drumheads.
Types of Broccoli
Italian calabrese:
pale green shoots with very tender side shoots. One of the most delicious broccolis.
Romanesco: Spiralled heads - very attractive.
Also
look for heat resistant hybrids.
Cauliflower
Mini cauliflower: Excellent for growing in pots.
Early purple head: Rich purple heads turn bright green
when cooked.
Paleleaf or Paleface: An old fashioned, slow maturing, very reliable cauliflower - our
favourite.
Snowball: Very fast maturing caulie, but not suitable for hot
districts.
Harvesting cabbages, caulies et al.
Pick
cabbages while they are still firm, they'll stay firm for months in cold or
cool weather, but may quickly go to seed in hot weather. Some varieties 'hold' better than others. Pick cabbage as soon as it's firm in
wet or humid weather, in case it starts to rot.
Once
you've picked the first cabbage head baby ones sometimes appear on the
stalk. These are also good to
eat. Try them stir fried.
Pick
broccoli as soon as the heads are big enough to bother with. Don't leave them too long as the
texture coarsens and they open further to finally turn into yellow
flowers. By this time they are
tough, soggy and slightly 'off' tasting.
Don't
just pick the first main great big head of broccoli. Once you've picked that one more will form at the sides -
and once you've picked those you'll get still more - for years if you keep
picking.
In
hot weather you MUST pick broccoli every day - or every second day at most - or
it will toughen. In cool weather a
head may last for a couple of weeks without picking.
Caulies
are best small too - they are firmest and sweetest then. Don't get greedy and wait for them to
get bigger and bigger - you probably won't eat the whole thing anyway. Eat it when it's small and firmest and
very white and the flowers are still curled into each other.
Pick
brussel sprouts as soon as they're walnut size. They can soon get puffy and the leaves will be flabby and
rank. The bottom ones are often
too puffy to bother with.
Old
fashioned brussel sprout varieties crop over at least a month with the lower
ones ready first, but modern varieties - bred for farmers who want to pick the
whole lot and sell them and get the ground ready for another crop - often
mature almost all at once.
Saving Seed
Cabbage,
brussel sprouts, broccoli and caulies must be separated from each other - and
other brassicas - and other varieties or they will cross. Collect seed only from non-hybrid
plants. Pick out the top flowers
and collect seed from the lower ones.
Brussel sprouts and broccoli need to 'cross' with at least one other
plant, preferably several, flowering at the same time.
Seeds
last 3-4 years.
Fresh Eating Period: All year
round .
Storage Time: Several weeks in
fridge. Store cabbages and
broccoli and caulies in crumpled up newspaper - it will keep them dry and stop
them smelling - and if they do smell it will stop the stink contaminating
anything else.
Nutritional value
Cabbage: 100 kj per 100 gms good
vitamin C, reasonable calcium and
fibre.
Broccoli: 150 kj per 100 gm, excellent source of folic acid, vitamin A and C,
good source of calcium and fibre.
Brussel sprouts: 200 kj per 100
gm, excellent vitamin C, folic acid and fibre.
Caulies: 100 kj per 100 gm, good
vitamin C, reasonable folic acid and fibre.
What parts you can eat
All
parts of brassicas are edible - except perhaps the roots. (These aren't toxic
but aren't appetising either). Eat
the heads - cabbage, caulie etc.
You can also eat the stalks - peel away the tough outside and stir fry
the tender inside. You can also do
this to the stalk as it goes to seed.
The
flowers are good stir fried.
Note: If you don't like the
'cooked cabbage' - or broccoli, brussel sprout etc smell - add a whole
unshelled walnut to the water you boil it in - or of course stir fry instead.
Coping with surplus cabbages, broccoli et al
Sauerkraut
This
can also be made with lettuce or
cabbage or young green beans.
Shred
clean crisp cabbage as finely as you can. Weigh out two kilos in a bowl and
cover with three tablespoons of salt.
Mix and leave till the cabbage wilts a bit - it is easier to press into
a jar when soft and the juice should start flowing. Now press down as hard as
you can in a pottery or opaque
plastic jar. Try to force all air
out - this will also help to force the juice out. Cover with a plastic bag half filled with water - this
should edge snugly round the cabbage so no air can get in at all. If there isn't enough juice to cover the
cabbage in 24 hours add salt and water - one cup of salt to ten cups of
water. Leave in a cool place (about 70 F/ 25 C ?) for
about six weeks. Then place in a
saucepan with the juice and bring
to the boil. Pack into
clean jars and seal.
How to cook sauerkraut.
Melt
a knob of butter in a large pan; sauté a sliced onion till transparent. Rinse and drain the sauerkraut and cook
for five minutes, add a grated apple.
Simmer for 30 minutes. A
little stock or water will be needed to moisten. Bake in a moderate oven till tender.
Sauerkraut
can be sprinkled with brown sugar or caraway seeds.
Pickled Cabbage
Slice,
sprinkle with salt, stand for twelve hours, press out moisture, place in jars
and cover with vinegar. Seal the
jars.
Dried Cabbage
This
is usually made from Chinese cabbage, though other cabbages can be used as well
- choose tender inner leaves for drying.
You can brush the leaves with lemon juice first - it keeps its colour
and softness better - but isn't necessary. Leave the leaves in the sun for a couple of days till they
are almost transparent. Take them
in at night.
Brush
the dried leaves with water and fill with vinegar rice with a layer of pickles in the
middle. Wrap in a neat package and slice thinly, so you see a green
then a white then a pickle layer.
Vinegar Rice
For
every two cups of rice add two tablespoons of white vinegar and half a
tablespoon of sugar.
Rumbledethumps
2 cups mashed potato
2 cups cooked cabbage
1 chopped onion, sautéed in butter
grated sharp cheese
pepper
Mix
all the ingredients except the cheese. Place in the oven, top with cheese. Bake till hot.
Coleslaw
This
is basically cabbage shredded as finely as possible, dressed either with -
usually bottled - mayonnaise or vinaigrette dressing. I prefer the latter. You can use any of the cabbages for
coleslaw, including red cabbage and Chinese cabbage.
Try adding:
. grated carrot and/or grated beetroot.
. chopped parsley.
. a little chopped dill.
. sesame seeds.
. walnuts and thinly sliced unpeeled apple.
. roughly chopped macadamias.
. thinly sliced smoked pork with thinly sliced granny smith apple.
. raisins (a popular addition, though I don't like them).
Cabbage with Onions and
Optional bacon
Fry
a few onions in oil; add a little chopped bacon, then add finely shredded
cabbage. Stir till cooked, then
add just a dash of soy sauce.
Some
chilli and garlic added with the bacon is a good addition too.
Stir Fried Brussel sprouts with Almonds.
Brussel
sprouts get even soggier on contact with water. (Note - cold climate brussel sprouts are firmer - we don't
get very good ones here. If I
lived in Tasmania I might love brussel sprouts more.)
Heat
olive oil in a pan, add chopped garlic, then throw in brussel spouts - not too
many or they will steam instead of fry.
Cook, stirring rapidly, till they turn bright green, then another five
minutes. Add peeled sliced or whole almonds and cook another
minute. Serve hot.
(This
is also good with cauliflower.)
Cauliflower Salad
Steam
cauli florets till JUST tender.
Cool under cold water at once.
Dress with one part lemon juice, three parts olive oil and a good dash of grainy French mustard and a generous dash of garlic. Now add lots of chopped parsley and
garlic chives - and serve either semi-warm or cold.
Medicinal Cabbages
A
warm cabbage leaf used to be applied to the breasts of women with mastitis, to
ease the pain and inflammation.
Certainly the warmth would help, but it is possible that cabbages also
help heal skin problems - cabbage leaves and fresh cabbage juice have long been
applied to wounds and skin irritations, and cabbage juice is mildly antiviral
and antibacterial. A warm cabbage
poultice is also said to ease the pain of arthritic joints.
Cabbages were also eaten to dispel
drunkenness. While many other old
remedies using cabbages - like drinking cabbage juice to expel worms - probably
did work to varying degrees, this remedy probably didn't.
Cabbages
were also used in ancient Rome to cure tumours and cancers - and do contain
various anticancer and antioxidant compounds. It speeds up oestrogen metabolism, and helps inhibit breast
cancer and pre cancerous polyp growth.
In one study two tablespoons of cooked cabbage a day almost doubled the
chances of avoiding stomach cancer.
Cabbage
juice is mildly antibacterial and antiviral; eating cabbage has been shown to
be helpful in diets of ulcer patients.
Raw cabbage is probably better than cooked cabbage , (try fresh cabbage
juice - but for medicinal rather than gourmet reasons) but cooked cabbage is
also invaluable.
Eat
lots.
Broccoli,
brussel sprouts, chinese cabbage and caulies also share these properties to
smaller or larger degrees.
Broccoli is said to help lower blood pressure.
'This
I am sure, cabbages are extremely windy whether you take them as meat or
medicine; yea, as windy meat as can be eaten, unless you eat bagpipes or
bellows, and they are both seldom ate in our days... '
Nicholas
Culpepper
Why you should grow your own cabbages!
Cabbages
et al may be treated with a range
of pesticides for cabbage aphids and caterpillars. Demeton-s-methyl is an organophosphate, extremely toxic to
humans and birds (that eat the aphids and so are poisoned). It persists for
several weeks. Dimenthoate is a suspected carcinogen; acephate is systemic, a
new insecticide apparently with low persistence; permethrin is an artificial
pyrethroid, relatively harmless except to bees and fish but quite persistent.