Red Acre Cabbage

Red Acre Cabbage heads reach about 6" in diameter and weigh about 3 pounds--an ideal size for the home garden. Along the wind-swept, salt-sprayed coastlines of the Mediterranean grow huge colonies of wild cabbage. From this unlikely niche have been developed all the cultivated members of the Brassica oleracea species, including broccoli, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, collards, and heading cabbage. Unexpressed in the wild species, the trait for the purple hue we call "red" has been revealed by careful selection over the ages. While it may be happiest basking in the sun on the Mediterranean (who wouldn't be?), it grows readily and fairly quickly in gardens around the world.