Tightwad tip- eat more cabbage

We're big on eating mainly seasonal produce. It just makes sense: it's healthier, cheaper and has less of an environmental impact. However, when I tell people about this, the main response is that they don't really have an issue with eating summer produce, but don't really like eating cabbage all the time. Now we don't eat cabbage all the time during the winter (other local in season produce includes turnips, fennel, parsnips, chard, carrots, etc), but it is something we do eat a lot. Cabbage is very nutritious- it belongs to the cruciferous vegetables, and is often referred to as a superfood. The word 'superfoods' might turn some people off, because of its price and the fad around them, but the great thing is- this particular superfood is super affordable! I know that fresh produce is expensive and makes up the bulk of the grocery costs of many people these days, so it's actually nice to know there are options that are a bit more affordable and just as healthy. 

When it comes to taste, it really is a matter of preference obviously.  We do like cabbage, but to each their own. I can't say that cabbage is my absolute favourite vegetable of all though, but it does rank quite high on my list. I like that it's just so so versatile so there's probably always a way in which people that don't prefer cabbage still like it. You can: ferment, fry, steam, stuff, bake, boil (and probably a lot of other things...) this lovely vegetable. And it's even nice for making winter salads. I find it hard to think of a dish to which you can't add some sort of cabbage. It can bulk up meals very nicely. That's how I use it a lot: as a "filler" for meals that lack enough vegetables. 

Even though most in season produce here is quite affordable, the thing is that most vegetables are sold by the weight (per kg). Some other vegetables, such as carrots and turnips are being sold in bunches. At times, you can get big bunches, and there are times the bunches are as tiny as three not very big turnips, which obviously make them more expensive. The thing with cabbage is that they usually aren't sold by the weight, but per piece, which typically make them even more affordable than other in season produce. Also, unlike most vegetables, cabbage is kind of 'what you see is what you get': there's no need to peel anything, nor does it shrink. And cutting cabbage is done in a few minutes, unlike some other vegetables, which comes in handy for those days when you're short on time. 

So, all in all, I believe that eating cabbage is a really is a good strategy when wanting or needing to cut back on groceries.