Cabbages are an enormous group of plants which includes eight main types; spring, summer, autumn (US: fall), Savoy, Savoy hybrids, January king, white winter and red. These can vary from tight balls of shiny, tough leaves from white to red, or the crisp, veined leaves of Savoy cabbage through to floppy, dark green cabbages with long, pointed leaves. The latter are high in folic acid. All varieties of this versatile vegetable may be pickled or stewed, boiled or brasied, steamed or fried and white varieties are often served raw in salads or fermented, as in sauerkraut.
