Cabbage

Overview

Cabbage is a vegetable crop in Starsand Island described in-game with the joke: "Ever wonder why cabbage gets eaten? It's because it's always 'wrapped up' in its own business!" It becomes available once you earn the Apprentice Farmer certification from Graminova. Cabbage grows during Summer and Autumn, takes just 1 day to mature, and produces 4 heads per harvest.

Thanks to its extremely fast growth cycle, Cabbage is one of the quickest turnaround crops available at the Apprentice tier. While the per-unit sell price of 22g is modest, the speed at which you can replant and harvest makes it a reliable source of steady income during the warmer months. Cabbage is also a versatile ingredient in several cooking recipes and can be pickled for use in higher-value dishes like Sauerkraut Fish.

Quick Stats

How to Obtain Seeds

Cabbage Seeds are purchased from the Happiness Seed Shop for 60g each after you reach the Apprentice Farmer tier. The shop stocks up to 20 Cabbage Seeds per refresh cycle. Seeds are available year-round regardless of the current season, so you can stockpile them during Spring or Winter in preparation for planting.

You can also produce your own Cabbage Seeds using the Grinder, which converts harvested crops into seed packets. The Grinder unlocks at the Senior Farmer tier and is an effective way to cut seed costs once you reach that level.

Growing Cabbage

Cabbage grows on regular tilled farmland or in planting boxes. It does not require a trellis, paddy field, or any other specialized structure. To plant Cabbage, till a plot of soil with your Hoe, select Cabbage Seeds from your inventory, and place them on the tilled tile.

Once planted, Cabbage takes just 1 day to fully mature, making it one of the fastest-growing crops in the game. You need to water it using your Watering Can, or set up sprinklers to automate the process. Cabbage grows only during Summer and Autumn. If you plant it at the very end of Autumn and the season changes to Winter before it matures, the crop will wither and be lost.

Cabbage is a single-harvest crop. After you pick the 4 heads of cabbage, the plant is consumed and you must replant from seed. This differs from trellis crops like Cherry Tomato that regrow after harvest.

• Tip: Because Cabbage matures in only 1 day, it is excellent for squeezing in a final harvest at the end of Autumn when slower crops would not have time to finish.

• Tip: Use Yield Fertilizer from the Fertilizer system to boost harvest quantity beyond the base yield of 4.

Sell Prices

The base sell price for Cabbage is 22g per head. Since each harvest produces 4 heads, a single harvest sells for 88g at base quality. Higher-quality Cabbage sells for more. Quality is influenced by the fertilizer you use and random chance during growth.

You can sell Cabbage at Zerine's General Store at the prices listed below. For even higher returns, sell to the Merchant Ship when it docks at Starsand Port every Monday, as it pays 200% of the normal sell price for all items.

While the raw sell price is low, Cabbage's real value shines when processed into cooked dishes or pickled products. See the Recipes and Pickling sections below for higher-value options.

Recipes Using Cabbage

Cabbage is a direct ingredient in three cooking recipes. Processing Cabbage into dishes increases its effective value significantly compared to selling it raw.

Cooking Recipes

Sweet and Sour Cabbage is the standout recipe for raw Cabbage. At 126g sell value, it converts 2 Cabbage (44g raw value) plus 2 Vinegar into a dish worth nearly triple the raw ingredient cost. If you sell it to the Merchant Ship at 200%, each plate fetches 252g.

Recipe Using Pickled Cabbage

Pickled Cabbage, produced by processing raw Cabbage in a Pickling Jar, is used as an ingredient in one additional recipe:

Sauerkraut Fish is one of the highest-value dishes in the game at 458g. It requires multiple ingredients beyond Pickled Cabbage, but the stamina restoration of +147 makes it one of the strongest recovery foods available. Selling it to the Merchant Ship at 200% yields 916g per plate.

Pickling

Cabbage can be processed into Pickled Cabbage using the Pickling Jar. The recipe requires 2x Cabbage and 2x Salt Bricks. The Pickling Jar blueprint is available at the Happiness Seed Shop and unlocks at the Intermediate Farmer tier or above.

Pickled Cabbage serves two purposes. First, it is a standalone food item that restores stamina and has a long shelf life, making it a solid inventory staple for exploration. Second, it is a required ingredient for Sauerkraut Fish, one of the best recovery dishes in the game. If you are planning to cook Sauerkraut Fish regularly, keep a steady supply of Pickled Cabbage on hand.

To produce Salt Bricks, you need to process raw salt materials at the Charcoal Kiln using Salt Brick and Fiber. Salt is a common resource found throughout the island, so the primary bottleneck for pickling is typically Cabbage supply rather than salt.

Everlasting Cabbage Seeds

Like all crops in Starsand Island, Cabbage has an everlasting seed variant. Everlasting Cabbage Seeds produce a plant that regrows after every harvest without needing to replant. Combined with Cabbage's already-fast 1-day growth cycle, everlasting seeds turn it into an extremely low-maintenance income source.

There is also a rarer Immortal variant. Immortal Cabbage Seeds ignore seasonal restrictions entirely, letting you grow Cabbage year-round in any season, including Spring and Winter.

Methods for obtaining everlasting and immortal seeds include:

1. Mirthshroom Soup: Eating this soup grants the Creamy Seeds buff. While active, harvesting any crop has a chance to drop everlasting or immortal seeds. Stacking 5 soups maximizes the drop rate.

2. Eternal Blessings: A Workpedia skill available at the Senior Farmer tier. Provides a permanent passive chance to receive everlasting crops when harvesting. Can be upgraded with Starsand Points.

3. Treasure Chests: Found on the surface island and in the Moonlit Forest. Some chests contain everlasting or immortal seeds.

4. Islandpedia Rewards: Completing certain Islandpedia milestones rewards everlasting seeds.

If you dig up an everlasting or immortal crop with a pickaxe, the seed is refunded to your inventory. You never lose it, which lets you freely relocate crops as your farm layout changes.

Gifting

Cabbage makes a solid gift for several NPCs. The following preferences have been confirmed:

Since Graminova loves Cabbage, gifting her a few heads is a convenient way to build friendship while visiting the Happiness Seed Shop to buy more seeds. Cabbage's low sell value (22g) means the opportunity cost of gifting is minimal compared to higher-value crops.

Tips

• Cabbage's 1-day growth time is its biggest advantage. You can fit far more harvests per season than slower crops, making up for the lower per-unit sell price through sheer volume.

• At the Apprentice tier, Cabbage and Water Spinach are your fastest turnaround options for Summer and Autumn. Use them to generate quick cash while saving up for higher-tier seed unlocks.

• Sweet and Sour Cabbage (126g sell value) is easy to mass-produce since Vinegar is cheap and Cabbage grows quickly. Consider dedicating a section of your farm to Cabbage specifically for this recipe.

• If you plan to cook Sauerkraut Fish regularly, start stockpiling Cabbage early. Each batch of Pickled Cabbage requires 2 heads, and you will also need Fish Fillet, Leek, and Pepper.

• Selling to the Merchant Ship on Monday at 200% price doubles your returns. A single harvest of 4 heads sold to the ship yields 176g instead of 88g.

• Consider using sprinklers on your Cabbage fields. Even though the crop only takes 1 day to grow, automating watering saves daily effort when you are running dozens of plots simultaneously.

• Everlasting Cabbage Seeds are particularly valuable because the 1-day regrowth cycle means you harvest every single day without replanting. This makes Cabbage one of the best crops for the everlasting treatment.