Are you wishing you could capture the flavor of crisp homegrown cabbage and enjoy it all winter? Fresh cabbage in January doesn’t have to come from the grocery store. With a cool spot, a few plastic bags, and a bit of time prepping it, one fall head can last most of the winter. I love having fresh crisp heads of cabbage at my fingertips all winter long! Homegrown cabbage is so versatile and so full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. You really want to keep some on hand for as long as you can!
Where is the best place to store cabbage for the winter?
Cabbage keeps well in any cool, enclosed space that stays above freezing and doesn’t get much above 40°F. It can even go below freezing for just a tad and still be ok. A refrigerator is the best option if you have the room. If you don’t, an unheated garage, a cool sunporch, or a basement works well. Keep a thermometer in the spot so you can check it.
How do I wrap cabbage for storage?
I leave the whole head intact, outer leaves and all. Then I put it in a plastic shopping bag and tie it shut. Then I put it into another bag with the tied end to the center of the next bag and tie that shut. That way, the cabbage is tightly wrapped. The more moisture you can keep around it, the longer it will stay fresh. Then just store it in a very cool spot. About once a month, check it to make sure the outer leaves are not rotting. If they start to rot, peel them back and rebag the heads. You lose a few leaves here or there, but the nutritional value is still very much there in your cabbage, just waiting for you to utilize it!
When should I move my cabbage inside?
Until the weather turns, we keep our cabbage in the lean-to that leads into our basement. Once the temperature stays below 28°F, it’s time to bring it in. Our spot is just inside the basement door, along the floor, where it stays around 40°F even though the rest of the basement is warmer. Cabbage handles cold well. It doesn’t freeze until it’s in the upper 20s, and if a few outer leaves do freeze, peel them off. The head underneath should still be crisp and sweet.
What if the outer leaves wilt by March?
By March, you really want to be keeping tabs on it, since the outer leaves often wilt or go soft by then. That’s normal. Peel them off, and the crisp head underneath is usually still really good. By then, many people have more refrigerator space, and if you do, now is the time to move them there. If you dont, and the cabbage is wilting, you can always chop it and freeze it for soups and stews. With careful monitoring - removing the outer leaves as necessary about once a month, and rebagging, we often keep fresh cabbage on hand into April or May.
Cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables to store, along with potatoes, carrots and squash. It is so versatile! And so easy to store - for most of the winter you can just keep pulling out of your storehouse of goodness - no blanching or canning needed! Just simple plastic bags and a little tender loving care. Its so satisfying to use, especially when yu know how much it costs in the grocery store, versus what you paid to get it fresh in season. We use it all winter for egg roll in a bowl, borscht and cabbage roll casserole. Extra cabbage can also go into lo mein, soups and stews, where it takes on the flavor of whatever you season it with.
Cabbage slaw is a winter favorite here. Our friend Alyona has a cucumber cabbage salad that’s a great way to use it. Her unstuffed cabbage rolls are an easy and very tasty way to prepare cabbage!
Can I store half a head?
Absolutely! Just cut off what you need, then wrap the rest in a gallon zip-top bag and keep it in the fridge. If the cut edge looks dry or scruffy, trim it back to solid cabbage and use the rest. A half head can keep for weeks in a tightly sealed bag in the refridgertor.
Why store your own cabbage instead of buying it in winter?
To begin with, storebought cabbage is often pricey. You will save alot of money, buying huge heads of cabbage in seasonfrom a local farmer, or growing your own, versus buying it in the winter.
Storebought cabbage will also have spent time in storage and in transit before it ever reached the shelf, so just because you bought it "fresh" off the shelf that day, that day does not mean that it's been picked recently. It could be just as old as one you stored yourself, with addded chemicals on it to keep it "fresh", especially if it's been shipped any distance. While the head you buy from a local farmer, fresh and in season, and store yourself is one you know the history of, comes directly from the farmer to you. YOU get to choose the environment it stays in. YOU get to decide how many preservatives (or not) you feed your family. You know what you are feeding your family. You know how its been stored and in what conditions.Nothing beats the flavor of crisp sweet cabbage youve stored all winter when the snow flies outside and the cold winds blow! Its such a delightfuln taste of summer in the dead of winter! Try it! You won't go back to buying cabbage from the store in the winter. Its so easy. So versatile. And so delicious!
Where can I buy cabbage for storing this fall?
Our cabbage is in season now at our local farm stand. The heads are huge! One head goes a long way to feed a family. Most heads are bigger than my head, and a single head is more than enough for several meals. At $5 each, you can't go wrong in buying a few, using what you can, and store the rest for delicious winter time eating! value for storing. If one head is more than you need right now, try storing the rest as described above, and taste the difference.
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