Florida cowboy claims swamp cabbage is a ‘must-eat’ for anyone who calls the Sunshine State home
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. - Deep in the heart of Florida grows a delicacy called swamp cabbage that has been keeping families fed for generations.
As Calvin ‘Buddy’ Mills cruises through the wide-open land just north of Okeechobee, he is in his happy place.
"I think heaven is going to be a lot like this…I think the grass will be greener and deeper. Maybe not as many skeeters in heaven," Mills said. "You can take the city, you can take the beaches, you can take all the other stuff…you have it. But, I like this right here."
Calvin 'Buddy' Mills hunting for swamp cabbage.
FOX 13 recently caught up with ‘Buddy’ while he was on a hunt for the heart of a sabal palm.
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"You can stir-fry it. You can make fritters out of it, but we’re going to make a soup out of it to go with some BBQ tonight. It’s called swamp cabbage," he stated. "We basically learned it, like I did, from my ancestors, who learned it from their ancestors, and back and back until probably it came from the Indians."
‘Buddy’ makes quick work of the palm leaves and works his way toward the center.
"I switched to the ax, so I don’t bust the heart," he explained. "One tree should feed between 5-8 people."
Harvesting not only provides food, but also helps manage the land.
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"When I go to bring cattle in and out of this pasture, they can actually travel through here a little bit easier," he remarked.
Calvin 'Buddy' Mills feeds cattle.
‘Buddy’ chopped his way down to the heart of the sabal palm. He says the rest of the trunk has an undesirable, bitter taste.
"You don’t want to feed that to your wife. You want to feed it to your mother-in-law," he joked.
"This was a way of life," he added. "This was a vegetable that grew year-round. This was a vegetable that we would just go get for Sunday dinner."
Heart of sabal palm.
Now, he says most people who eat swamp cabbage make it for special occasions. It goes with just about anything.
"I guess you could probably eat swamp cabbage with pizza. I don’t know," he shared.
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After chilling on ice for a few hours, the chopped up heart is ready to cook.
Calvin 'Buddy' Mills cooks swamp cabbage.
"What I try to do is add them in at one time…I want them to all cook fairly even," he explained.
‘Buddy’ said he likes to add bacon and seasoning.
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"We don’t salt much food, but we do tend to go overboard with pepper," he shared.
'Buddy' makes soup out of swamp cabbage.
‘Buddy’ says he likes it to slow boil for about five minutes.
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"This is as cowboy as it gets," he said. "You don’t get much more cowboy than swamp cabbage and beans."
Swamp cabbage is a must-eat for anyone who calls Florida home, according to ‘Buddy’.
Calvin 'Buddy' Mills and his wife.
"It’s got its own thing. If I compare it to anything…maybe, maybe steamed broccoli or cauliflower, possibly. But, it’s got its own flavor to me," he said. "You can’t live here for any length of time and not try it.’
"My wife, she was kind of hard to get," he smiled. "I cooked a pot of swamp cabbage, and she ate some of it, and she fell in love with me right away, so it’s got its own love potion.
'Buddy' and his wife enjoy a meal of swamp cabbage.
"This is my life," he added. "Spend the day working, come home and put ribs on the grill, and you hear how quiet and tranquil it is, horses are standing there just got through eating…have the cabbage and sit under the barn… this is as good as it gets to me."
The sabal palm is Florida's state tree, so it is protected. Random harvesting of them is prohibited, but you can cut them on your own property.
It is very hard to find swamp cabbage in restaurants, but one way to give it a taste test is to visit ‘Buddy during the Florida State Fair, where he serves up swamp cabbage in the cracker country section.