I WAS going to write about cabbages this week – and how they have at last begun to shed their reputation as a foul smelling, limp staple of bad pre- Jamie Oliver school dinners – and started to be recognised for what they are, a true ‘superfood’.

Rich in vitamins A, C and E, they also have a substantial mineral content including manganese, iron, calcium and potassium and include phytochemicals such as sulphoraphane, which has been linked to cancer prevention. And, if cooked properly, they can taste great.

So, I rang Henry Wormington, chairman of the Worcestershire Farmers’ Markets Association and owner of Vicarage Farm, and asked him how his crop was getting on.

“Sorry, can’t help,” he replied. “I lost my entire cabbage crop this year, because of the wet summer. It all rotted in the ground. I think Styan Family Produce has some, though.”

“Our first crop of cabbages rotted in waterlogged fields, so we planted a second crop and the same thing happened to those.

“We’ve planted more, but they won’t be ready until January. Every year you expect some crops to fail, but not so many as this year.

Lots of farmers have had problems, especially with brassicas – cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts and curly kale.”

And this made me pause for a moment, and think about what a devastating effect nature can have on our farmers. This summer, although certainly not the worst on record, was pretty wet.

We may have cursed the bad weather at the time, because it ruined our planned days out, but how many of us spared a thought for the effect it would have on farmers?

Smaller producers, such as those who have stalls at our farmers’ markets, are hit particularly hard by these problems, as they, like Henry, can sometimes lose an entire crop to bad weather.

So, if you do manage to buy some cabbage at a farmers’ market this weekend – you could try the Styan Family Produce stall – make sure you don’t let it go limp in your vegetable basket.

Try the following recipe of buttered garlic cabbage for a delicious side dish and reflect on how lucky you are to be eating some cabbage at all!

Ingredients
2 tbsp sunflower oil
25g butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large cabbage, outerleaves discarded, cored and shredded

Method

1 Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan.
2 Add the garlic and heat for 20 seconds.
3 Stir in the cabbage and two tablespoons of water.
4 Season, cover and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then until wilted and very tender. Serves six.

● Next week’s market is at Abbey Road, Malvern, on Saturday, November 15, from 9am until 2pm.