Description, cultivation, popular varieties of savoy cabbage

Cabbage is on the list of foods without which it is difficult to imagine a human diet. This vegetable has become the main ingredient in many national dishes and contains a large amount of nutrients. In our country, white cabbage is the most popular, while residents of Europe and the United States prefer Savoy cabbage. It appears more and more often on the shelves of our stores.

Savoy cabbage forms heads of cabbage, but not white, but dark green. Its leaves differ in texture, taste, and chemical composition from other types and subspecies of cabbage. There are features in other characteristics of a vegetable with corrugated leaves.

General description of savoy cabbage

Savoy cabbage is a subspecies of garden cabbage (white cabbage). It forms heads of cabbage, which eat... There are also leafy varieties of savoy cabbage (photo).

Photos and descriptions of this culture are difficult to confuse with other representatives of the Cruciferous family (Cabbage). The leaves of the plant are thin, delicate, without hard veins. Their hue ranges from light green to emerald green.

Heads of cabbage with corrugated leaves are located on a high, powerful stem, covered with large leaf plates. From a distance, they seem crumpled.

Heads of cabbage are loose, they are easy to take apart. The upper leaves are thicker and have a more intense green hue. Closer to the core, they turn yellow.

The shape changes depending on the variety. It is round-flattened, spherical, domed. Depending on the variety, the weight of the heads of cabbage varies between 0.5-3 kg.

It is interesting! The later the ripening period, the larger the heads of cabbage.

Savoy cabbage is highly frost-resistant. Young seedlings are able to withstand cold snaps down to -4 ° C, mature seedlings do not die when the indicators drop to -7 ° C, adult plants are able to stay even under snow and grow at temperatures down to -14 ° C.

The Savoy variety is distinguished by its high drought resistance and undemanding soil composition. It can grow in clay, peat and even saline soils.

The natural immunity of the plant is high. It is rarely affected by diseases and pests.

Due to its high frost resistance, the culture is suitable for growing not only in the southern regions of our country. It does well in temperate climates, as well as in Siberia and the Urals.

The disadvantage of the cabbage variety is its relatively short shelf life in cut form. Also savoy cabbage is not suitable for fermentation and salting, since its tender leaves fall apart with this method of preparation and do not turn out to be crispy.

Another disadvantage of the variety is its relatively low yield. The forks are lightweight, although they take up as much space on the site as white heads of cabbage.

It is interesting! The name Savoy cabbage was given in honor of the County of Savoy, where it was actively grown.

Popular varieties

The characteristics of Savoy cabbage are highly dependent on the variety. A large number of varieties and hybrids of this plant have been bred.

Twirl

Lacy leafed Savoy Vertu cabbage is a medium late variety. The head of cabbage has a flat-round shape. The color is dark, gray-green. Leaves are oval, bubbly.

Suitable for processing and fresh consumption. Storage periods up to two months.

The variety is distinguished by its demands on moisture and light. It cannot be called drought tolerant.

Gold early

This is an early variety - heads of cabbage are cut off within 106-110 days after sowing the seeds. They have a spherical shape, reach a mass of 1 kg and a diameter of 60 cm. The outer leaves are light green, turn yellow towards the core. They have an openwork (bubble) surface, strongly corrugated.

The variety is highly resistant to drought, cracking, pests and diseases. From 1 sq. m harvest up to 4 kg.

Moscow lacemaker

Variety Moscow early lace. From emergence to harvest, 106-110 days pass.

Heads of cabbage have a rounded flat shape. Leaves are yellow-green in color, rounded, with a bubbling resembling lace, and waviness along the edge.

The weight of each head of cabbage varies from 1 to 1.5 kg. From 1 sq. m harvest up to 4.5 kg.

Melissa

Melissa is a medium-ripening Savoy Dutch hybrid. Differs in high resistance to fusarium and strong, well-developed root.

Dense cabbage heads are rounded. Leaves are medium-cropped with incisions, bubbly. The color is dark, gray-green. There is a thin waxy layer.

The weight of one head varies between 2-3 kg. From 1 sq. m harvest up to 5 kg. The maximum shelf life is 5 months.

Pie

Early variety. Differs in high immunity and drought resistance. It contains a small amount of fiber, which is why its leaves are particularly tender.

The head of cabbage has a conical shape. The density is average. Weight varies between 0.8-1 kg.

The outer leaves are emerald in color, while the inner leaves are yellow. They are wavy and bubbly.

Uralochka

Uralochka is a medium-ripening variety. Its main advantage is resistance to cracking.

Heads of cabbage are rounded, dense. Each of them weighs approximately 2 kg.

The leaves are large, corrugated and bubbly. The upper layers are light green and the central ones are yellow.

Differences between savoy cabbage and ordinary white cabbage

Although both Savoy and cabbage belong to the same family and look similar, they differ from each other. Their differences are as follows:

1. Appearance. Common cabbage leaves are white and smooth, while Savoy cabbage leaves are green and corrugated.
2. Density, size and weight. The heads of the white-headed cabbage are denser, large and heavy. They are more difficult to disassemble into leaves.
3. Stability. Savoy cabbages are less likely to infect diseases and pests. They are characterized by high winter hardiness and drought resistance, in contrast to the white-headed variety.
4. Storage duration. In this, savoy cabbage is inferior to white cabbage.

Taste and application

White cabbage has thick crispy leaves and rough veins. These qualities increase over time.... Savoyard leaves are thin, without coarse veins, delicate.

Tastes vary too. Savoy cabbage does not have the bitterness characteristic of the white cabbage variety. The scent is also different - it is not as sharp, but intense.

Corrugated cabbage leaves are especially tasty and healthy fresh in salads. They are suitable for stewing and cooking cabbage rolls. Moreover, if in a recipe with ordinary heads of cabbage, the leaves are first boiled, then savoy cabbage can be used raw.

Corrugated cabbages are not suitable for pickling and pickling. In sour salty brine, they become soft and not crunchy, their taste deteriorates significantly.

Chemical composition and useful properties

Savoy cabbage contains more nutrients than white cabbage. Among them:

• vitamins: B, A, C, E, K, U, D;
• minerals: iron, zinc, copper, potassium, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, calcium;
• mannitol (sugar substitutes are made on its basis);
• essential amino acids;
• glutathione;
• sinigrin;
• ascorbigen.

The product has a wide range of useful properties. It is recommended to be included in the diet on a regular basis.

Beneficial features:

• normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
• activates immune processes;
• improves appetite;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• strengthens the nervous system;
• removes toxins, free radicals from the body;
• prevents the formation of arterial plaques;
• tones up the body;
• stimulates the brain;
• improves the condition of the liver;
• accelerates tissue regeneration;
• improves metabolism.

The vegetable is recommended to be included in the diet of people with diabetes mellitus and children. It is easy to digest and has practically no contraindications.

Note! 100 g of product contains only 27 kcal.

Savoy cabbage growing

Growing corrugated cabbage is easy. This plant is capable of growing outdoors in most regions of our country. The main thing is to take into account a number of rules and nuances.

Growing seedlings

Experienced gardeners recommend growing cabbage in a seedling way, despite its frost resistance. This allows you to get the harvest earlier. Seeds are sown from the second half of March to early April.

Before sowing, the seeds are prepared:

1. First, they are immersed in water with a temperature of + 40 ... + 50 ° C for 15 minutes, and then for 1-2 minutes in ice water.
2. The planting material is disinfected. It is soaked for 30 minutes in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.
3. To accelerate the appearance of the first shoots, the planting material is soaked in a growth stimulator for 12 hours. After that, it is washed under running water.
4. The planting material is kept on the refrigerator door for 24 hours. Then it is dried until flowable.

To grow seedlings, they buy a universal soil or prepare a soil mixture from equal parts of garden soil, peat, sand. The soil is disinfected with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate or by roasting in the oven (180 ° C, 30-40 minutes). Do the same with containers.

The seeds are sown in boxes filled with soil mixture to a depth of 1 cm.A free space of 2-3 cm is kept between the seeds.

The seeds are covered with sand. The soil is moistened with a spray bottle. The boxes with crops are covered with foil and placed in a room with a temperature of + 18 ... + 20 ° С.

A week later, when the seeds germinate, the temperature is lowered to + 8 ... + 10 ° C. A week later, the greenhouse is dismantled.

After the appearance of the first true leaf, the seedlings are dived into individual containers. In this case, pinch off a third of the central root.

After picking, the seedlings are watered with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. For four days it is kept in a shaded place at a temperature of + 18 ... + 20 ° C. Then the indicators are reduced to + 12 ... + 16 ° С.

Water the seedlings as the soil dries up with warm, settled water. The liquid is poured under the root and used for spraying.

Plants are fed twice:

1. Two weeks after the dive into individual containers. Use special complex mineral fertilizers for seedlings.
2. Two weeks before transplanting to a permanent place. A solution of potassium sulfate and carbamide is used.

Two weeks before planting in a permanent place, they begin to harden the seedlings, gradually increasing its duration. Cabbage is transferred to open ground in the second half of May.

Landing in open ground

For planting cabbage choose a sunny, wind-protected area. Other crops of the cabbage family should not grow on it for the past five years.

In the fall, they prepare the soil: they dig up and clear weeds, for every 1 sq. m make 6 kg of humus, 30 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium salt. If the acidity of the soil is increased, lime or ash is added. In the spring, the beds are dug up again, cleaned of weeds and leveled with a rake. The holes are dug in rows in a checkerboard pattern, at a distance of 40-60 cm from each other.

The plants are buried to the cotyledonous leaves. The first two weeks of planting are protected from direct sunlight.

Council. The smallest hole spacing is used for early varieties and the largest for later varieties.

Care

Caring for cabbage beds is easy. The main thing is to follow the basic rules of agricultural technology:

1. Watering. For the first three weeks, the plants are watered from a watering can with settled water daily, spending 1 sq. m 7 l of liquid. Further, the soil is moistened every five days, spending 15 liters per 1 sq. m.
2. Loosening. After each watering and precipitation, the soil is loosened. In the process of loosening, weeds are removed.
3. Hilling. A month after the transplant, the cabbage is spud. For later varieties, the procedure is repeated once more when the leaves close together.
4. Top dressing. The first time the planting is fed with diluted 1:10 manure, when the plant starts to grow. When heads of cabbage begin to form, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied. For early varieties, two dressings are enough. Middle and late fertilized for the third time a month after the previous feeding.

In order to preserve cabbage as long as possible, in winter it is not cut from the stem, but buried under the snow right in the garden.

Savoy cabbage reviews

Reviews from people who have tried or grown Savoy cabbage are positive. This variety has many advantages over the usual white cabbage.

Irina, Voronezh: “I have been growing Savoy cabbage for the third year already. She almost completely replaced the white one for me. It is easy to grow it. The main thing is to water and feed in a timely manner. At the same time, the taste is much more delicate, all dishes are tastier. Not suitable only for fermentation. In winter, I store it right in the beds under the snow or snobon. It doesn't affect the taste. "

Alisa, Zelenograd: “I buy Savoy cabbage in the store instead of white cabbage. I love her very much. The vegetable is delicious both fresh and stewed with cheese and cream. I love to cook stuffed cabbage rolls and pies from it. It turns out more beautiful and softer than from the usual. Besides, it has more useful properties. "

Conclusion

Savoy cabbage is an excellent analogue of white cabbage. It is distinguished by high frost resistance and drought resistance. It is rarely affected by diseases and pests. In addition, juicy corrugated leaves without hard veins have a delicate taste and contain a large amount of nutrients.

Growing Savoy cabbage is not much more difficult than growing cabbage. The only thing that the plant is demanding for is the timely introduction of fertilizing, watering and loosening the beds.