Bits and Bobs - Part 2

Red cabbage is also called red kraut or blue kraut. It is usually cut into small pieces or thin slices. You can then eat it raw in a salad or cooked and seasoned as a side dish. Red cabbage is sown or planted in spring and harvested in late autumn. The plant forms heads, with the leaves packed tightly together. It stores well. Red cabbage is closely related to white cabbage, which can also be eaten raw in a salad or cooked. White cabbage made into sauerkraut is especially popular. It keeps for a long time.

We only use the stalks of rhubarb. They have a tart taste. Rhubarb is used to make jam or compote. It can also be used in cakes or made into juice or cider. Rhubarb grows from a rootstock in spring. This rootstock produces new shoots year after year. Rhubarb grows large leaves, with leaf stalks up to 70 cm long and 5 cm wide. The above-ground parts of the plant die back in autumn.

We often eat lettuce. Of course, you can use other varieties too, such as lamb's lettuce, endive, radicchio or Lollo Rosso. We use the leaves of the lettuce and eat them raw. Together with tomatoes, onions and other ingredients, we make a “salad.” Lettuce seeds can be sown from mid-March. The plants need plenty of sun and regular watering. Lettuce can be harvested about 8 to 10 weeks after sowing. If it stays very dry for a long time, head lettuce does not form heads and bolts.

- Image: Rasbak CC BY-SA 3.0

Asparagus stalks are peeled and then usually boiled. We eat them with potatoes, melted butter, a sauce and ham. The tips of the stalks taste best. Asparagus grows underground. As soon as the stalks break through the surface, they turn green. But because white asparagus is preferred, the stalks are harvested just before they reach the surface. Asparagus is usually grown in large fields. It takes 2 to 3 years before the first spears can be harvested from a field. The plants then continue to sprout year after year for several more years.

Spinach is often eaten with fish or fried eggs and potatoes. It is cooked and finely puréed, or prepared as whole-leaf spinach. Spinach is sown outdoors from mid-March and can be harvested a few weeks later. The plant is an annual, so if it isn't picked beforehand, it flowers in its first summer and later produces seeds. The plants grow to about 20 to 30 cm tall.

Only the fruits of tomato plants are edible. Mixed with lettuce, onions, radishes and other ingredients, they make delicious salads. You can also make a tomato salad with just tomatoes and onions. Tomatoes can also be braised or steamed, or made into ketchup or tomato juice. It is estimated that each person in Germany eats almost 30 kg of tomatoes a year. Tomato plants are grown from seeds. They need plenty of sun and moisture, but do not tolerate rain well. Tomato flowers are yellow.

Savoy cabbage is another type of cabbage. In Switzerland it is also called Wirz, while in Austria it is simply called Kohl. We eat the leaves of this plant. They can be added to salads or used in stews. The larger leaves are often used to make cabbage rolls.

Savoy cabbage has heavily crinkled leaves, so its heads are not as firm as those of white or red cabbage. However, it grows faster than other types of cabbage, so it can be sown and harvested at different times of the year. It does not keep well. But because it can withstand frost, it can simply be left in the field and harvested in winter.

Parsley is used exclusively to season food. It is often chopped into small pieces first. Parsley is used raw or briefly heated. It can be brewed into a tea or made into a tincture, both of which are believed to have healing properties. The plant is grown from seed and reaches about 30 to 60 cm in height.