Cabbage is an incredibly flexible vegetable: soft, buttery, and mellow when braised over low heat, crunchy and bright when raw in salads or coleslaw, and crisp but tender when quickly cooked. Lucky for us, this time of year you can easily find a variety of cabbage at the Saturday Morning Farmers’ Market!

When picking a good cabbage, look for one that is heavy for its size without excessive bruising. A cut end that is not brown, with crisp leaves, is a sign of freshness but a few blemishes on the outside leaves are fine; those can be removed and discarded before use. There’s a cabbage out there for every occasion, so keep reading to learn which cabbage is best for you!

Green and Red Cabbage

Green cabbage has a pale green color with wide fan-like leaves and a slightly rubbery texture. This cabbage is the all purpose cabbage, going well in salads, stir-fry, and slaw. It is somewhat peppery in flavor but mellows quite a bit (and turns slightly sweet!) when cooked.

Red cabbage is similar in appearance to green cabbage, but with a deep reddish-purple color that adds a pop to whatever dish it’s added to! Warning: It will turn blue when cooked, but can be counteracted by adding some sort of acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar. Both red and green cabbage are fairly long lasting.

Savoy and Napa Cabbage

Savoy
Quite possibly one of the prettiest cabbages (okay, they’re all pretty!), it is also known as lacy cabbage because of its curly, crinkly leaves that are less tightly packed than that of the green or red cabbage. This cabbage is very tender raw and its leaves make great wraps!

Napa
Also called “Chinese Cabbage”, Napa cabbage is more oblong than the savory or green cabbage, with thick white stems and frilly yellowish-green leaves. It looks a bit like romaine lettuce with a sweet, soft flavor. It works great as a dumpling filling and is tender enough to enjoy raw!