Eat Some New York Cabbage on St. Patrick's Day

Well, today is St. Patrick's Day.

And the famed Irish meal for this date is corned beef and cabbage.

Did you all know that New York state is a huge cabbage state. New York ranks number 2 in all the United States for growing cabbage for the fresh market and has been in the top 3 states for production for the last 10 years.

Cabbage is very nutritious and has hardly any calories. According to nutritiondata.com, a cup of chopped cabbage has 22 calories, no fat, 15 mg of Omega-6 fatty acids, 54 percent of the daily amount needed of vitamin C, 85 percent of the daily amount needed of vitamin K, 10 percent folate, 6 percent vitamin B6, 4 percent calcium, 2 percent vitamin A, 2 percent protein and 7 percent manganese.

According to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, cabbage is grown everywhere in the state, but the biggest areas or cabbage production is Western New York and the Finger Lakes region.

"Traditionally planted in April, it can be harvested from mid-June through mid-November. More than 30 varieties of cabbage are grown in the state, ranging from small ones weighing a couple of pounds to behemoths close to 20.  Cabbage comes in green, red and even purple colors," according to the website.

Most of the New York cabbage goes for cole slaw, but the Department of Ag and Markets says New York cabbage is also used in egg rolls, bagged salad mixes, and sauerkraut. "Two sauerkraut producers call New York home, taking advantage of the state’s abundant cabbage crop: Seneca Foods Corporation in Geneva and Great Lakes Kraut Company in Shortsville."

Fresh cabbage always can be found in area grocery stores and at farmers' markets in the summer and fall. "New York cabbage can be stored for many months and it’s likely the cabbage eaten with corned beef in March was grown right here."

It's National Cabbage Day

Today is the day to celebrate that large, dense green (or sometimes purple) hunk of veggie called cabbage.

National Cabbage Day is observed annually Feb. 17. According to wikipedia, Cabbage (Brassica oleracea or variants) is a leafy green or purple biennial plant, grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. Closely related to other cole crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, it descends from B. oleracea var. oleracea, a wild field cabbage. 

Cabbage heads generally range from 1 to 9 pounds and can be green, purple and white. Smooth-leafed firm-headed green cabbages are the most common, with smooth-leafed red and crinkle-leafed savoy cabbages of both colors seen more rarely. 

It is a multi-layered vegetable. Under conditions of long sunlit days such as are found at high northern latitudes in summer, cabbages can grow much larger.

Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage

New York state is big in cabbage, ranking second in the country in the production of cabbage (at one time New York was ranked number one). 

If you want to know more about New York cabbage, go to http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/AD/release.asp?ReleaseID=3054 and read this story about the state's cabbage industry.

Cabbage is the main ingredient of coleslaw.  It also has some medicinal purposes.

CELEBRATE

Following are a few “tried and true” recipes for you to enjoy:

Slow Cooked Garlic Pepper Cabbage Corned Beef & Cabbage Stir Fry Kielbasa and Cabbage Healing Cabbage Soup

Use #NationalCabbageDay to post on social media.

What's New York Cash Crop? You Might Be Surprised

A great story about one of New York state's best crops -- cabbage.

Go to http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20130824/BUSINESS/308240040/Cabbage-worth-ton-money-New-York to see the story, video and photos.