MEET THE CABBAGE GROWERS THAT ARE A-HEAD OF THE GAME

Words: Ollie Benson

Sitting above the Jansz Parish Vineyard on the outskirts of Richmond, looking down on the spindly arms of the now dormant vines, you can see rows and rows of stunning vegetables destined for the restaurants of Hobart. And there’s one humble vegetable that takes pride of place amongst the rows. From the crinkled leaves of the savoy to the tightly packed, conical-shaped hearts of the sugarloaf, it’s cabbage season!

Rocky Top Farm, owned by Sprout Tasmania’s co-founder Tony Scherer, is home to several market gardeners. There is the team of gardeners operating as the Rocky Top Grower’s Collective, and then there is Michael Layfield and Lauren Byrne of Felds Farm, who split their time between Tony’s property and their other market garden in the north of the state.

Mike and Lauren have been farming since 2018, originally starting a market garden in Bagdad before having the chance to lease land and move their operation to North Lilydale. They continue to grow there, with produce grown predominantly sold to restaurants and retail outlets in Launceston. In 2021, having known Tony for several years, they were offered the chance to start growing under his tutelage at Rocky Top. While splitting their time between the two farms is tricky, having the opportunity to grow at Rocky Top has allowed Mike and Lauren to learn from the vastly experienced Tony as well as allowing them to expand their operation.

Exploring what growth might look like for the couple’s business, and what level of scale is manageable to make a living from farming, is something Mike and Lauren are passionate about. Farming at Rocky Top has allowed them to grow larger quantities of crops such as potatoes, squashes, radicchio, and brassicas such as romanesco, wombok, cauliflowers, and cabbage, and they have been keen to trial new growing methodologies while staying true to their organic practices. At Sprout’s recent Cross Pollinate conference, an annual event aimed to provide learning and networking for Tasmanian small-scale farmers, Lauren presented a talk on this, and what embracing growth has meant for them.

It’s unsurprising to learn that the sugarloaf cabbage, also known as hispi or the delightfully named sweetheart cabbage, has a sweet, mild taste. Its tender leaves lend itself to being served raw, shredded in salads, and they make an excellent sauerkraut. They’re also just as good cooked, with the shape and compactness making them easy to cook on the barbecue. Tom McHugos in Hobart recently served sugarloaf cabbages grown by Mike and Lauren’s farming mates, Stan and Briony of Fat Carrot Farm, grilling them first, then braising in chicken stock to be served with fig and tomato sambal butter. So delicious!

If you’re out and about in Hobart this winter, and see sugarloaf cabbage on the menu, there’s every chance they’ve been freshly harvested from the wonderful collaboration that is Felds Farm and Rocky Top. And they’re just one more reason why this cold, dark season in Tassie is so special.

Michael and Lauren’s favourite way to cook sugarloaf cabbage is to cut it in half, brush oil on each cut side and sprinkle with salt. Then in a hot cast iron pan, each half is grilled cut side down until charred and coloured. The cabbage is then flipped, small knobs of butter are added to the now charred sides, and chicken stock or water goes into the pan. The cabbage is then popped into the oven. Once soft, the pan is removed and deglazed with some more butter or if you’d like, balsamic vinegar and poured over the cut side to serve. Check seasoning and enjoy!