Dr. Phillip Griffiths from Cornell University began looking at novel pink, red, and purple cabbages around a decade ago as both a source for natural colors and for exploring new cabbage market class opportunities. Most of the materials he examined were not viable for commercial production, and they were typically susceptible to black rot, had heads that cracked early and easily, and had poor internal leaf density or deep cores. All of these traits are undesirable for growers and consumers. In an effort to improve these materials, they were crossed with other cabbages he had been working with that had good horticultural traits for New York. They had been selected with a focus on important traits such as black rot resistance, head quality, head uniformity, and internal leaf-color characteristics. Now Dr Griffiths is engaging with Norwich Meadows to generate feedback from NYC chefs on the most desirable new leaf color types. We hope to begin trialing the most desirable selections next year! 🥬