Forget white cabbage, real deal is in red variety

Anastacia Ngarama attends to her red cabbages in her farm in Naivasha. Red cabbage is mainly used in salads while green cabbage is usually cooked. PHOTO | RACHEL KIBUI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Red cabbage contains anti-cancer protection.
  • Red cabbage is mainly used in salads while green cabbage is commonly cooked
  • The main difference between the two crop is the colour and use. Green cabbage is greenish-white, while red cabbage is purplish-red in colour.
  • Ngarama Farm was recently awarded the top honours in the Small-Scale Farm Gearing towards Commercialisation Category in the National Farmers Awards Scheme run by Ministry of Agriculture and Elgon Kenya.

Mirera, somewhere along Naivasha- Longonot Road is dusty and muddy when it rains, as many other rural outposts.

It is in the region, where agriculture is the mainstay that Anastasia Ngarama farms on 12 acres

She grows a variety of crops that include red cabbages, red and white onions and tomatoes in greenhouses.

The former finance officer at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission further grows strawberries, French beans and courgettes on her farm that she calls Ngarama.

Of the crops, however, the red cabbages stand out, offering her a good fortune as she has found a niche market for them.

“I sell the red cabbages to hotels in Naivasha, which they use to make salad. The crop offers better price than the green cabbage. A kilo of red cabbage goes from Sh40-Sh80, depending on demand while a piece of green cabbage, weighing about 4kg, costs Sh40.”

The main difference between the two crop is the colour and use. Green cabbage is greenish-white, while red cabbage is purplish-red in colour.

“In size, the green cabbage is bigger and can weigh up to 4kg while a large red cabbage weighs about 2kg,” she offers.

The green cabbage is a one-season crop, while the red cabbage can grow again even after the first head is harvested.

CANCER PROTECTION

Studies show that red cabbage contains 36 different varieties of anthocyanins, nutrients linked to cancer protection.

“Red cabbage is mainly used in salads while green cabbage is commonly cooked,” she offers, noting both crops are first grown in nursery for a month before they are transplanted.

On the farm, both are spaced at about 30cm apart and one needs to irrigate regularly. They may need spraying against aphids and caterpillars and harvest is after three months.

Anastacia’s journey in farming started some four years ago, when she opted for early retirement.

“I started by growing two acres of black beans, investing Sh5,000 and ended up earning Sh16,000, what motivated me,” she says, noting her love for horticulture made her switch to vegetable farming.

From having one employee, Anastasia has now employed eight people, with six of them working everyday on the farm.

“For French beans, I grow them as a contracted farmer selling to an exporter. I seek market for other crops from local suppliers and grows them on order,” she says, however, sometimes buyers fail to honour their promise when the crop is ready.

At one time, she narrates that she had grown 3,000 heads of green cabbage, only for the buyer to vanish when the crop was ready for harvest.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

In a good month, Anastacia makes about Sh150,000 from the farm, money that she says is far-much better than what was her salary.

Inside her small farm office, two trophies sit on a table while several certificates of recognition colour the wall.

Ngarama Farm was recently awarded the top honours in the Small-Scale Farm Gearing towards Commercialisation Category in the National Farmers Awards Scheme run by Ministry of Agriculture and Elgon Kenya.

Besides a trophy and certificate, Anastasia received a shopping voucher worth Sh25,000.

“It has been a year of motivation for me,” she says, adding that the latest award made her feel special as a farmer.

Anastasia plans to specialise fully in farming cabbage (both green and red), onions, French beans and tomatoes.

Hanna Maina, the Naivasha sub-county agricultural officer, says a smart farmer seeks market for her produce first before planting.

“This way, a farmer will be able to avoid middlemen and thus earn more,” she notes.