NO sure way, but our grandmeres knew:

Buy a head that is heavy for its size. Some varieties, especially when
subjected to certain exterior conditions, will develop cracked heads
(bad broken leaves) or thick spongy centers. FE: A good small head
may weigh 1-1.2 Lb. We're talking maybe 6-7 inches in diameter.
If you find a sale on BIG heads at a good price, and each still weighs
1-1.2 Lb, you can assume the centers are pulpy and spongy.

You will have to experiment with what's available in your local
market, I'm afraid. That's because season of harvest and the
availability of water during the growng season also affect
the end product.

Buy and try. If the heads are not good for stuffing, they can
still be OK for Corned beef, or sauteed cabbage with bacon and
noodles, or some other way of preparation.

Even with not-so-good heads, sometimes you can make the
cabbages work by parboiling first, then stripping off the
leaves carefully and peeling off the thick leaf stems; they
will roll easier.

HTH

Alex

BTB: Threw out the sauerkraut with the really *strange*
bouquet, got some nice organic heads and started another
batch of kraut. Looking good. Bubbles forming as God
ordained. My homemade corned beef waits in anticipation!
Me too.

On Thu, 4 Dec 2008 13:36:21 -0800 (PST), "
> wrote:

>I enjoy making cabbage rolls once in a while. I bought a head of
>cabbage last Sunday at a farm market, and the sign implied that it was
>grown locally. The cabbage leaves were really large almost all the way
>to center of the cabbage, which really made rolling the rolls a lot
>easier. This is, I think, the first time I have purchased a cabbage
>like that. Is there a way to tell ahead of time how big the cabbage
>leaves might be in the center or was this just a fluke, or the variety
>of cabbage which they planted?
>
>Thanks
>
>Tom