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To recommend something for this feature on unusual or flavorful finds at seasonal markets, e-mail details (what, where and when you found it, how it tastes and how you use it) to nichole.aksamit@owh.com. Please include your name, city and phone number, and put “Farmers Market Find” in the subject line.
What are baby cabbages and garlic shorties?
The tiny cabbages — bigger than Brussels sprouts, smaller than a grown man's fist — are second growths that shoot out after the large “mother cabbage” has been harvested from the stalk. Each color/type has a distinct flavor, but the leaves of both are tender and sweet, and the cores have a pleasant peppery kick.
The short sausages are made with ground pork, beef, salt and lots of garlic and stuffed into natural casings that link one to the next. Those we tried were juicy and exploding with robust garlic flavor.
Spotted at:
The Omaha Farmers Market booths of the Homeside Farm Market (Carson, Iowa) and Chlupacek's Old Fashioned Smokehouse (Bruno, Neb.) on Saturday.
How to use:
As you would other cabbage, though steaming seems ideal for showcasing these babies: Most are small enough to cook relatively quickly even when whole. And the cores aren't so fibrous that you need to remove them.
The sausages can be simmered in water or beer and/or marked on a grill if you want a little char. Sliced, they make a nice addition to hearty fall stews, soups or pastas.
Recipe idea:
One-pot sausage and baby cabbage: Simmer sausages in water or beer in the bottom of a medium pot with a steamer basket insert on top. Cut an X in the tops of the smallest cabbages, leaving them connected at the core. Cut larger cabbages into halves or quarters, leaving some core on each of the wedges. Spread in a single layer in the steamer basket over the simmering sausages. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
Cover and let the simmering liquid cook the sausages (until they are plump and 155 degrees in the centers) and steam the cabbages (until they are al dente), 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve one baby cabbage and one sausage (diagonally sliced into rustic chunks) per plate, with mashed sweet potatoes.
— Nichole Aksamit
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