Cabbage
In season in the Midwest · down 18% this week
This vegetable is at its local-harvest peak from October through December, and is sold in stores year-round. This week it's in season in the Midwest — buying it in season usually means better quality and, as the regional prices below show, a lower price.
Per a typical 89g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Cabbage, raw).
- 1 SouthwestCheapest $0.56/lb
- 2 Northeast $0.62/lb
- 3 Midwest $0.69/lb
- 4 Southeast $0.71/lb
- 5 Southcentral $0.85/lb
- 6 Northwest $1.39/lb
Buying cabbage in the Southwest saves about 60% versus the Northwest this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Heavy for its size with tight, glossy outer leaves. A light head has dried out. A few loose outer leaves are normal and get peeled away anyway; deep cracks or a split core are not.
- What a good price looks like
- Whole heads run 60 cents to $1.30 a pound, so a head is usually $1.50 to $3 total. Under a dollar a pound is common and good. Bagged coleslaw mix costs three to four times as much per pound than the head it was cut from, and it is the same vegetable, shredded that morning.
- What you actually get
- A 2 lb head gives about 8 cups shredded and serves six to eight as a side. Waste is minimal, around 10% for the core and outer leaves. Cabbage is reliably the cheapest vegetable per serving in the shop, and it keeps for a month.
- How to store it
- Whole cabbage keeps a month or more in the crisper, which makes it one of the best-value vegetables in the store. Once cut, wrap the exposed face and use within about a week.
- In the kitchen
- Quarter it through the core, then slice each quarter across for shreds — the core holds the leaves in place while you work and is trimmed away at the end. For anything raw, salt the shreds and let them sit for twenty minutes, then squeeze; the texture goes from squeaky to properly crisp. Cabbage is also excellent roasted in thick wedges, which almost nobody does.
- Getting the most out of it
- Raw and shredded it is crunchy and cheap; cooked hot and fast it caramelises; cooked long and slow it goes silky. Salting shredded cabbage draws out water and improves nearly every slaw. It is also the base for sauerkraut and kimchi if you buy more than you can eat.
- ColcannonRecipe by Spend With Pennies~$0.49 / serving 3 in-season
- ColcannonRecipe by Budget Bytes~$0.57 / serving 3 in-season
- Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes Recipe with Cabbage)Recipe by Foodie Crush~$0.57 / serving 2 in-season
- Vegan Fish TacosRecipe by Nora Cooks~$0.62 / serving 5 in-season
- Coleslaw Recipe with Creamy DressingRecipe by Natasha's Kitchen~$0.70 / serving 3 in-season
- Epic Vegetarian TacosRecipe by Cookie + Kate~$0.78 / serving 4 in-season
See all 430 recipes with cabbage →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA National Retail Report. Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Cabbage — FAQ
When can you buy cabbage in season?
This vegetable is at its local-harvest peak from October through December, and is sold in stores year-round. This week the Midwest has cabbage marked in season.
What's the price of cabbage right now?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of cabbage in the Midwest is $0.69/lb, down 18% from last week. It's cheapest in the Southwest at $0.56/lb.
How many calories and how much protein are in cabbage?
A typical 89g serving of cabbage has about 22 calories, 1.2g protein, 5.2g carbohydrates, 0.1g fat, and 2.2g fiber, per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I make with cabbage?
SeasonSort indexes 430 recipes that use cabbage, each with its cost per serving computed from this week's prices — starting from about $0.08 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.