Cabbage in the Snow

Record breaking snow happened in this area starting yesterday.  Shoveling is tiring!  This is a day that I realize the awesomeness of having a pickup with a shovel attached to the front of it.  I am sure many people hand shoveling today were having snow plow envy, haha.

In the dead of wintertime, there aren't many vegetables in season.  And if you try to buy some way out of season vegetable, it looks limp and dead (probably because it traveled like almost 10,000 miles to get to you).  Cabbage is a late fall through winter vegetable.  And, the colder it gets, usually the sweeter the cabbage tastes.  Cabbage has been a staple for at least two millennia and can be eaten raw (think: coleslaw) or cooked (I hope you are not thinking of boiling it... :)).  It holds many nutritional benefits and has cancer-fighting ability.

Researchers have observed that women from Eastern European countries surrounding Poland and Russia were much less likely to develop breast cancer than American women.  An analysis was done and it showed that the Eastern European women's intake of cabbage was much higher.  Years of research were devoted to indoles, a phytochemical, and found that indoles alter estrogen metabolism in a favorable way, reducing risk of cancer.  For an inexpensive vegetable, it has some really great nutritional value for a low price!

Red or purple cabbage also contain the same pigment molecules found in blueberries.  They belong to a group of flavonoids and act as powerful antioxidants.

I eat cabbage sauteed (as I do with most vegetables), just add oil, salt and some pepper.

For more info and on how to buy cabbage: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/02/in-season-cabbage-choosing-storing-recipes-20100206.html

Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden