RobertBrown
Veteran Member
Swamp cabbage
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whistlepig
Elite Member
Would this be a tasty side dish for marsh rabbit?
OP
RobertBrown
Veteran Member
swamp cabbage is served with just about everything...southern, but mostly fish, fried fish, oysters and game meat.
whistlepig
Elite Member
Awful lot of brown fur here. Perhaps the presentation is lacking.
creekbend
Super Star Member
When I lived and worked in Southwest Florida, I tried Swamp Cabbage several times. They served it at the Ducks Unlimited annual feeds. I never did like it, even when cooked with bacon. If memory serves me correctly, Swamp Cabbage is the Heart of the Sabal Palm. When you remove it, the palm dies. Am I correct? Thanks for posting. brings back memories.
OP
RobertBrown
Veteran Member
Yes you are correct. And, there is no way to get to the heart without killing the tree.
I have had it many times, cooked different ways but it always has some type of cured pork (salt pork,ham hocks, bacon...). Some like it with cane syrup. Most country folks in Florida will just love to have at on the table at a big feed.
I agree with you in that: I don't think it's worth the time or trouble and I would just as soon have a vegetable that is easier to get to the table, and doesn't kill a tree.
Cutting a cabbage is a lot of work especially in the hot weather....even if you have a chain saw. Just getting to heart of the ones shown would fill up a small trash can with palm debris, so it makes a mess too.
This "heart" has a very strong flavor at the bottom portion that is indescribable, so if you don't cut enough of the bottom off, it (the dish) will be pretty bad, but a little bit of the strong part will add a pleasant flavor to "the pot".
It's my experience that most people refer to this palm as a "Cabbage palm". But the "Sabal Palm" monicker is not uncommon.
I have never seen it for sale at a market and I was thinking that it could not be sold legally, or it was protected because it's the "Florida state tree".
I suppose that if the tree is on private property when it is cut then it can be sold.
I took the picture and posted it to see how many would recognize it as food. I was at a small town grocery (my town) store that is older than I am. I tried some of their homemade sausage last week and had to get some more.... good sausage is as good as it gets :licking:
I have had it many times, cooked different ways but it always has some type of cured pork (salt pork,ham hocks, bacon...). Some like it with cane syrup. Most country folks in Florida will just love to have at on the table at a big feed.
I agree with you in that: I don't think it's worth the time or trouble and I would just as soon have a vegetable that is easier to get to the table, and doesn't kill a tree.
Cutting a cabbage is a lot of work especially in the hot weather....even if you have a chain saw. Just getting to heart of the ones shown would fill up a small trash can with palm debris, so it makes a mess too.
This "heart" has a very strong flavor at the bottom portion that is indescribable, so if you don't cut enough of the bottom off, it (the dish) will be pretty bad, but a little bit of the strong part will add a pleasant flavor to "the pot".
It's my experience that most people refer to this palm as a "Cabbage palm". But the "Sabal Palm" monicker is not uncommon.
I have never seen it for sale at a market and I was thinking that it could not be sold legally, or it was protected because it's the "Florida state tree".
I suppose that if the tree is on private property when it is cut then it can be sold.
I took the picture and posted it to see how many would recognize it as food. I was at a small town grocery (my town) store that is older than I am. I tried some of their homemade sausage last week and had to get some more.... good sausage is as good as it gets :licking:
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Willl
Elite Member
I for one did not, I even thought at first somebody missed labeled or toss their tree trimmings in the closest empty receptacle.
What part of it is cabbage ?, is the heart like other trees, the very center ?
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Well, I learn something new everyday! Never heard of it before.
OP
RobertBrown
Veteran Member
To get to the heart, or the edible part, you keep cutting off the fronds and they get lighter in color and less fibrous as you bet closer to the center. If you keep peeling them away you will find an ivory colored center that is very crisp and tender. You can eat it raw or put it in a salad.
Its sold in cans if you want to get an idea of what it tastes like. It's called "Hearts of Palm". You might find it in the ethnic foods part of the grocery store or maybe a specialty foods store. It might not be the same species of tree, as the canned stuff comes from,.....somewhere else....Indonesia or some other far away place.
creekbend
Super Star Member
That homemade Sausage sounds great. With some homemade Biscuits and Gravy and some Molasses on the side, you're making me hungry and I just ate.