Deep purple and bright green

A few weeks ago I payed my favorite farm Amelis’Hof, in Bunnik, a visit. Wandering around, looking for the latest harvest to see what kind of wonderful things the fall has to offer us. It was hard to overlook the beautiful cabbages covering the fields. Their deep purple and bright green leaves seemed almost luminous in the fall sun. Thin strings of cobweb were connecting one cabbage to the other. Magical!

Once harvested

There are early and late varieties of cabbage harvest. The early red cabbages have a softer taste and bite. The fall crop begins in September and continues until mid November. These late fall cabbages are a bit darker and more rigid, but also very tasty. Once harvested they are kept in cold rooms. Due to the protecting wax layer that covers the leaves these babies stay fresh for quite some time. This makes cabbage an environmentally conscious choice, all year long.

Red cabbage recipe with apple

Grated red cabbage is very tasty in salads but during cold days it is a good idea to prepare it the old-fashioned Dutch way. My recipe for Dutch red cabbage with apple is cooked in red wine, which gives the dish a rich taste and fills the room with a lovely winter smell. Serve this side-dish with red meat and potatoes from the oven.

Too pretty to eat

If you really find these beauties too pretty to eat, you can get creative and enjoy them a bit longer. Use them as table decoration, candleholder or vase. Take a look at my Pinterest board for inspiration!