Who said you can't grow excellent cabbage in Reno? This beauty was harvested for the Labor Day holiday weekend. It was grown without chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers in a raised bed in Reno's famed 'Banana Belt' with morning and early to mid-afternoon sun. The soil was prepared with last year's potting soil, a really good crop of humus from the family compost bin, a good dose of organic chicken manure, and a once a month dry or tea feeding with a high grade, organic vegetable fertilizer.

The cool, wet spring seems to have been very conducive to growing cool weather vegetables this season. This box produced beautiful patchs of Collard Greens, Purple Kale, Leeks and Walawala Onions.

Plants that did not do well in this particular box this season were tomatoes, eggplant, pumpkin, and beans. In past years those plant types have done very well in this space.

Autumn plans are already set for greatly improving the soil of this box for next year's use.

Dishes prepared from this single cabbage plant:

• Magic Vegetable Soup Stock
• Cabbage Leaves Stuffed with Turkey, Fresh Herbs and Organic Quinoa
• Bob's Spicy Coleslaw (Mayonnaise free)
• Steamed Cabbage with Fennel Seeds and Butter

As far as insects are concerned, this cabbage was relatively free from pest damage. There were a few holes in the outeer leaves, but not many. Also found were two small happy and healthy slugs tucked down in the outer leaves of the head. The slugs were served with a fresh lemon side, but there were no takers. Finally, we found a small, disoriented earthworm inside the head. The small earthworm was celebrated and verbally thanked for helping produce such fine humus, then promptly returned to its compost home with a cabbage leaf to eat and lounge on.