Photo courtesy of Western Carolina University Southern Appalachian Digital Collections
Cabbage farm, Highlands
“Reinfried Armstrong Romanes (April 4, 1896-1978), more often known as R. A. Romanes or simply as Romanes, was born and raised in Europe. In 1919, he emigrated to America and, through family and political connections, settled in Alto, Georgia, where he remained for the rest of his life. It wasn’t until 1925 that Romanes became interested in photography, but after that time, photography became his passion. He made pictures of farming families in and around his adopted hometown in northeast Georgia and took landscape shots in Georgia, South Carolina, and western North Carolina. Most of the photographs in this collection were made in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s and many are labeled as to where they were taken.”
Southern Appalachian Digital Collections
Have you ever seen such a big field of cabbage? I sure haven’t. I can’t imagine taking care of that many cabbage nor planting them.
I am anxious to get my cabbage plants in the ground. I was hoping we could plant them this weekend but looks like we may have rain.
We plan to cover our cabbage plants with row cover again this year. The first year we tried covering them (Ed Ammons suggested it) they did so good!
Last year we had to plant our cabbage in a different area of the garden. We covered them, but they didn’t make at all. It wasn’t the cover nor the cabbage that was the problem. It was where we planted them. They were way too close to my flowers and over the course of the summer the flowers infiltrated the covered rows and snuffed out the cabbage.
The cover we used can be found at most gardening stores and online. It allows for sunshine and rain to go through easily, but keeps the pests off the cabbage plants as they grow. A lot of folks have told me they use tulle fabric as row cover.
Last night’s video: A Traditional Appalachian Breakfast and How to Make Buttermilk Biscuit Bread & Oven Hash Browns.
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That is one huge field of cabbage. I can’t imagine taking care of all that but I guess they had to do what they had to do. Sure had to be hard work. I love cabbage anyway you can fix it.
I don’t know if I’ve shared this but a visitor from “up north” along the Mississippi River told me several years ago that his ancestors developed a business growing cabbage. They chopped it and put it in barrels and salted it. It was shipped by boat to New Orleans and sold to shipping companies to feed their sailors because by the time it reached New Orleans it had turned into kraut and helped prevent scurvy. It seems they would have to grow a lot like the field in your picture.
Wonder how come Romanes didn’t get a picture of the catching net at the bottom of the hill? 🙂
Really enjoyed last night’s video. I’ve baked a lot of biscuits but never made a biscuit pone. I’ll have to try that.
I love that old farming photo! I would love to see many more photos like that. I read the other comments, and was surprised to learn you use ash to keep bugs away. I don’t like to use any type of chemical on my food, so the ash seems to be the natural alternative? Correct? I even stay away from diatomaceous earth, even though I understand it is natural, made of sea life shells I think. I love cabbage as kraut, or coleslaw, or cooked with ham, scalloped, stuffed, or any other way I can find a recipe to use it for!
Donna. : )
Even in my time there was a booming cabbage business up in Watauga County. They had a kraut canning operation there up until the 1980s. Runoff from the plant into Boone Creek caused the locals to rename it Kraut Creek.
One trucking company, Hollar and Green, began by just hauling cabbage down out of the mountains. They are still in business and still hauling cabbage although not as much of it is grown in Watauga County now. They take cabbage South and bring back citrus. Hollar & Greene’s logo on their trucks have a cabbage plant on them and all their trucks are painted cabbage green.
My Dad taught me how to make biscuits when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I won the biscuit baking contest in 4-H Club at age 10. The girls were so mad because a fourth grade boy beat them.
I remember Dad having us to dust cabbage with ashes. We always had plenty of cabbage for kraut.
Lord have mercy! That’s the hugest field of cabbage I ever imagined and ain’t it simply wonderful and marvelous!!!! Tipper, gardening in this day and age is a challenge so to cover your cabbage makes sense. I’ve looked at big hoop greenhouses that cover literally acres! I say whatever it takes and I wish you the very best in your garden, as I know you’re excited! I’m sorta excited myself about getting in the garden.
I use my woodstove ashes and diatomaceous earth to keep the pests off of my veg. It works really well. I recall some larger farms with farm stands just north of Mountain City, GA. One has huge bags of cabbage for sale but they have become more expensive like most places. I used to buy my cabbage there to put up my own sauerkraut but haven’t been there in a few years.
This is my first time trying cabbage and I have learned a hard lesson…don’t plant too close together. They are beautiful, so far, and I am using Neem oil to keep the pests away, first time using Neem also. Live and learn. I will know better next time. Your sharing you garden, sure does help mine. I guess, better late than never. As far as biscuits go, I am FINALLY getting the hang of making them down pat, even at my age. Thanks for being a good and patience teacher. God Bless