Caulifl ower
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
C
auliflower, a somewhat tender (heat- and come relief with darker dishes, it appears bland
cold-sensitive) vegetable, made its way alongside boiled potatoes, plain pasta, and
from Asia to Turkey around 600 BCE and poached fish. Even so, I tried the purple, and it
hung around there for nearly 2,000 years—and looked gross!
still does. Northern Europe finally got a taste In my youth, it was often prepared by steam
for it, or an ability to grow it, in the 1500s. ing the whole head, bathing it with a rich ched-
It is advisable to plant early to protect the dar cheese sauce, and placing it in a very hot
vegetable from too much hot sun, or set up a oven (450ºF–500ºF) to reach a lovely dappled
screen to shield it. Try fall planting to avoid the aromatic brown. But you can also add a less
early hot summer sun, since above 68ºF the fl o rich dusting of smoked paprika and a spritz of
rets lose their quality. When individual fl orets olive oil and finish with 2–3 minutes in the
are 2–3 inches wide, tie the leaves over the oven just before serving.
head to shade it and to keep the head (curd)
white; harvest 4–10 days later. Th is technique
is called blanching (not to be confused with the
culinary method of plunging into boiling water The Numbers
for a few moments). It you have a thyroid condition, you may want to limit
There are a number of colored varieties of your consumption somewhat because caulifl ower
cauliflower; the usual white curds come in a contains goitrogens, which can cause the thyroid to
broccoli green or a very odd purple; all varieties enlarge.
grow the same way as the white variety. I think For every 100 g raw (3.5 oz ; ½ cup): 25 calories, 0 g
the choice is almost purely aesthetic, because fat, 0 g saturated fat, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein,
although the pure white vegetable can be a wel 3 g dietary fiber, 30 mg sodium
108 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE
