Seeds from the Brassica family of vegetables are indistinguishable, though they grow into a wide variety of very different vegetables. Turnips, kohlrabi, kale, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and mustard all have small, dark, round seeds that you would not be able to tell apart. Our favorite thing about Brassicas is the diversity of edible plants that they create and we love to eat, and that show up in cuisines all around the world. This month, we celebrate cabbage as the Harvest of the Month.
Though we enjoy eating cabbage, it is also fun and interesting to create dye with any outer leaves you peel off a head, and practice some basic chemistry. Chopped red cabbage, boiled with water for about 15 minutes, contains an anthocyanin that changes color when an acid or base is added to it. Add in vinegar to turn the cabbage juice red, or baking soda to turn the cabbage juice blue.
Our favorite way to eat cabbage right now is shredded raw into a salad, or on its own, stuffed into a sandwich or taco. This month, we’ve been enjoying raw snacks of cabbage with preschoolers to celebrate Harvest of the Month, and are finding that most of them enjoy the crunch and flavor. Cabbage is also delicious cooked down in butter with apples and onions so that it caramelizes, and becomes a sweet and savory side dish.
This vegetable pancake recipe from Robin Forte is one of our favorites; give it a try!
Okonomiyaki (Japanese vegetable pancakes)
½ small head cabbage, shredded
2 medium-size carrots, grated
4 kale leaves, cut into thin strips
1 cup Brussels sprouts, shredded
½ cup apple, peeled and diced
4 scallions, minced
1 tsp. salt
½ cup flour or gluten-free flour blend
6 large eggs
oil for sautéing
Combine all the ingredients and drop small spoonfuls onto a medium-hot skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, flip, and then cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with Tangy Dip.
Tangy Dip
¼ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
¼ tsp. ground ginger
Combine ingredients and serve with pancakes!
