The not-quite-red red cabbage

[Jenise]

I just bought a red cabbage that's not really red. It's somewhere between green and red. When I see cabbage that color, which isn't often, I always buy--the flavor is different, sweeter than green and more complex than a traditional red cabbage (whose idea was it to call them 'red' anyway, they're purple!).

Having never grown cabbages I am curious about how this phenomena occurs. Is what I have an immature red cabbage? I'm guessing green cabbages don't turn red if left alone too long, the way bell peppers turn. Or is it a mutant, or a variety unto itself? Does anyone know?

I did not know but my Googley friend helped me. After reading a few sources, it appears that the color is an indication of the pH level of the soil in which it was grown: red when in acidic soils, purple when in neutral soils, and yellow/green when in alkaline soils.

Nice summary here: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/b ... ion439.htm

[Jenise]

Cool, Jeff, thanks. And I guess that means that a red cabbage is born red, like red kale. Funny though, that I do note a taste difference between the greenish red cabbages and the full-red cabbages. Definitely prefer the former!

Cool, Jeff, thanks. And I guess that means that a red cabbage is born red, like red kale. Funny though, that I do note a taste difference between the greenish red cabbages and the full-red cabbages. Definitely prefer the former!

Cabbage got terroir?