Can you guess what this plant is? Yes, cabbage. What a big deal, you may say. This small plant, however, made me realize a simple truth that I had ignored for so long.
After using up all the leaves, I soaked the core of the cabbage in water instead of throwing it away in the compost bin. A couple of days later, little bright green leaves came out of the top of the core, and some white roots came out of the bottom. Intrigued, I took it outside and planted the core in the back yard.
The picture shows you how the cabbage core looks like three years later. It doesn’t look like it will generate the same kind of cabbage ball as I purchased at the grocery store, but new leaves are coming. Last spring some beautiful yellow flowers came out, and I used them for my ikebana. More than anything, it is still alive. Its life is thriving!
I plucked one leaf and took a bite. It’s soft, very tasty! If I keep on plucking some of these leaves rather than cutting off the whole head, will this cabbage continue to grow leaves and feed me year after year?
To me who grew up in a big city, vegetables were to be obtained in exchange of money. I did see tomatoes and cucumbers growing in my grand parents’ farm, but they were laid out neatly in the boxes to be carried away to the market for resale. Conceptually, vegetables were no different for me from any product manufactured in a factory, like soap, for example. Once consumed, they were gone.
This cabbage core, thriving after three years from almost being thrown away, has caused me to question the life that I have taken for granted. Such a convenient, but somewhat artificial life.
