Red Cabbage

Red Cabbage

taxobox
name = Red Cabbage


image_caption = Red Cabbage plants
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Brassicales
familia = Brassicaceae
genus = "Brassica"
species = "B. oleracea"
subdivision_ranks = Cultivar Group
subdivision = "Brassica oleracea" Capitata Group|

The Red Cabbage ("Brassica oleracea" var. "capitata" f. "rubra") is a sort of cabbage, also known as Red Kraut or Blue Kraut after preparation.Its leaves are coloured dark red/purple. However, the plant changes its colour according to the pH value of the soil, due to a pigment called anthocyanin. On acidic soils, theleaves grow more reddish while an alkaline soil will produce rather greenish-yellow coloured cabbages. This explains the fact that the very same plant is known by different colours in various regions. Furthermore, the juice of red cabbage can be used as a home-made pH indicator, turning red in acid and blue in basic solutions.

On cooking, red cabbage will normally turn blue. To retain the red colour it is necessary to add vinegar or acidic fruit to the pot.

Red Cabbage needs well fertilized soil and sufficient humidity to grow. It is a seasonal plant which is seeded in spring and harvested in late fall. Red Cabbage is a better keeper than its "white" relatives and does not need to be converted to sauerkraut to last the winter.

Uses

Red cabbage is often used for salads and cole slaw. This vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked.It is also used to determine if a substance is an acid or a base by boiling it in water and using the water as a pH indicator.

Cultivation

It is recommended to start Red Cabbage seeds indoors 4 weeks before the last frost. Sow in containers that allow for movement of water through the bottom of a cell. Popular seedling starting containers are peat pots, egg cartons, plug trays or milk cartons. Once the seedlings grow to about 2 inches tall, and have developed their first leaves, they can be hardened off and moved outside for transplanting. Red cabbage prefers climates that remain moist and cool for most of its vegetative growth stage, so they can be placed in the ground shortly after the last frost, while the spring is still cool. The cabbage plants can be spaced about 12-26 inches from one another. They will need watering often but are otherwise low maintenance plants.

External links

* [http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa012803a.htm How to Make Red Cabbage pH Indicator]


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