Cabbage politics.

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Ricard with an H
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I don't know about calling this thread, "Cabbage politics". I couldn't think of any other way to describe the issue, here goes then.

Most people who hate cabbage hate it as a result of poor cooking and preparation, right ?

I always disliked kale because whenever I bought kale it had been chopped-up for me and included the tough stalks.

This weekend because I've been poorly we bought a prepared Sunday dinner from M&S, it's always good quality though I'm not sure about the economics of the deal where you get a bottle of wine thrown in. I don't even know how much it cost.

The point is coming up, just stay with me.

Ok-ok, cabbage and kale stalks are nutritious, I'm sure if I stick my neck out and say the stalks spoil it for me someone will come up with the balance of nutrients being held in the stalks. I don't enjoy the stalks and I waste most of my broccoli purchase or growing effort by trimming most of the stalks away, this is better than hating the whole plant.

With our Sunday dinner Mo choose creamed cabbage with bacon and cheese, I was very pleased with the taste but it was full of stalks.

Is it me ? are people too lazy to remove the stalks ? Do people enjoy eating tough and sometimes woody stalks ?

What a shame and shame on M&S food people but before I complain I need to know if I'm going to make a fool of myself.

Come-on, make me have it.
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retropants
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I dislike the stalks too, I thought it was just me being over fussy! I always de-stalk cabbage, kale and to some extent broccoli, but I find the stem nearer the floret is nice and tender when steamed.
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oldherbaceous
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Now, i like the stalks, but so saying that, the large majority of greens are homegrown so are always picked and cooked fresh. When cook first started cooking for me, she thought i was mad when i asked her to leave some of the cauliflower leaves on for cooking. But she was also surprised just how tender a homegrown cauliflower could be.
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Motherwoman
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I suppose commercially processed greens go through mechanical choppers and they're not going to stand there taking out the stalks. What do stalks mean? Money!

I remove stalks down (or up...) to a certain level as they can be challenging... but they don't have to go to waste if you have a veg stock pot on the go. Always felt I could do with a couple of pigs at this point.

MW
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PS: thought you'd gone a bit quiet Richard, hope you're feeling better now.

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Richard I'm with you on shop bought veg having the stalks on them & it being tough, unlike your own grown fresh produce, which because it is so fresh tends to be more tender & tasty.

I have to go through those bags of mixed salads as well as they leave thick stalks on the leaves, spinach in particular, & sometimes roots as well especially on the lamb's lettuce! I'm sure a considerable amount of the weight is from them as what I'm left with is so much smaller that what I tipped out of the bag!

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Unless the stalks are tough I leave them on if cooking them as veg to serve as part of a main meal but I save them, chop them up and include rhem in vegetable soups so they're not wasted. Cauliflower stalks are generally lovely and tender thiugh and I always leave them on, and some of the leaves too when cooking them.
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peter
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Cabbages I quarter vertically and make a diagonal cut on each quarter to remove the core.
Which my wife eats raw. :?

Kale I choose tender leaves unlike the leathery supermarket offerings and only include the stem where it is fringed with leaf, so strictly speaking we eat the leaf main rib. :D
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We don't like the stalks either, whether cabbage or kale. A good M&S product is their creamed cabbage with nutmeg. I aspire to produce that!
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Ricard with an H
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Motherwoman wrote:PS: thought you'd gone a bit quiet Richard, hope you're feeling better now.

MW


:D

I thought it was time to go quiet-side on this issue just to feel the responses, I'm vindicated is my feeling.

I'm not entirely adverse to stalks, just when I pay a premium for prepared food I feel that the preparation is part of the economics. I love cauli stalks but don't include them in and dish, I eat them raw, grate them into salad or bin them

Removing stalks is fiddly and time consuming compared to just crashing a knife through the whole lot and bunging it in a pan, cabbage with the stalks removed is more of a pleasure to eat and I think preferred by all those who don't have to do the prep.

I don't want to pay for stalks when I'm buying a premium product and from what I've read you agree with me, even OH might prefer more leaf than chewing through stalks if he paid M&S prices.

Just sliding to one side slightly, I think Black Cabbage with those thin leaves might be more popular if the stalk-to-leaf ratio was different. Yes ?
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oldherbaceous
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Morning Richard, i can honestly say i don't think i have ever had a ready meal. I have always been lucky enough to have had good cooks in my life, ready to spoil me with fresh meals. And yes, i know i am very lucky and never take it for granted. I still make sure i say "Thank you, that was lovely", after every meal.

Regarding the black Kale, it is just starting to go over so, i have picked lots of little florets off them...
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On the question of removing stalks I've heard of people snapping off the stalks of loose calabrese in supermarkets before going to the till because they don't want to pay for food they will be throwing away. I wonder if they'd have the nerve to take along a sharp knife and start cutting the bones out of lamb chops on the meat counter!
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Ricard with an H
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oldherbaceous wrote:
Regarding the black Kale, it is just starting to go over so, i have picked lots of little florets off them...


I appreciate your comment and I'm not a great one for ready meals though when the need arrises they are better than hospital grub.

I cook for myself most of the time, small quantities are not easy and I dislike freezing leftovers too often.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
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oldherbaceous
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And i always look up to people that take the time to cook a hot meal when they are by themselves. I think i would get myself in a right old pickle.....
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Motherwoman
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My parents ,91 and 93, still live in their own home and cook their meals but with arthritis in both hands (mum) and very little vision (dad) ready prepped veg is useful. They decided to treat themselves to some lovely looking ready podded broad beans last week from M&S, nice small beans from abroad obviously at this time of year. Go nice with a salmon fillet and new spuds thought mum... they were as tough as old boots. :( She'll have to wait for mine to be ready!

MW
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