Here’s my first post about our microfarm, a 1/4 acre suburban plot where I put into practice innovative organic practices. For Fall vegetables, timing is everything. I planted this cabbage crop in mid August, which was the perfect time to let it grow out nice and big for the frosts in November. While the peas and broccoli I planted in September have withered in the the Fall freezes, these cabbages have been able to hang tough. So on Sunday evening we prepared a Cabbage Patch Soup that was a big hit with everyone.

And if the culinary benefits weren’t enough, recent studies suggest that cabbage may reduce cancer risk. Professor Dorothy Pathak of Michigan State University recently presented a study to the American Association of Cancer Research that found a relationship between consumption of cruciferous vegetables and reduced incidence of breast cancer. According to Pathak, Polish immigrants to the United States had a 70 percent lower risk of breast cancer when they ate cabbage two to three times a week during adolescence. Unfortunately for the cabbage patch soup, the cabbage should be raw or short cooked. Well, looks like we’ll have to make sauerkraut next year.