Cauliflower

Cauliflower
Species
Brassica oleracea
Hybrid parentage
Cultivar group
Botrytis Group
Cultivar
Origin
unknown
Cultivar Group members
Many; see text.

Template:Nutritionalvalue Cauliflower is a variety (Botrytis Group) of Brassica oleracea in the family Brassicaceae (the same species as broccoli, which it strongly resembles). It is an annual plant that reproduces by seeds. Typically, only the head (the white curd) is eaten while the stalk and surrounding thick, green leaves are discarded. Cauliflower is extremely nutritious, and may be eaten cooked, raw or pickled.

Horticultural techniques

Cultivation

The preferred garden soil for cauliflower is well drained, moist, has significant organic matter with a pH of 6 to 7. Cauliflower is typically started indoors six to eight weeks prior to setting out in the garden and is typically ready for harvest two months after transplanting. As with all brassicas, seeds germinate best with a soil temperature of 25±1 °C (77±2 °F). The vegetable requires a cool, moist climate - if temperatures go too high the plants will not produce flower heads, if too low a temperature is reached, the plants might button, creating small heads. It is cold tolerant, but will not survive hard frosts. Of all the brassicas, cauliflowers have the largest number of growth requirements, and the ability to successfully grow cauliflower in a home garden is often thought to be the hallmark of well-managed soil and a good gardener.

The most common insect pests of cauliflower are cabbage worms. Aphids and flea beetles will also attack cauliflower. Control can be achieved by using biological controls like Bt (Bacillus thurengensis), predatory insects or chemical pesticides. Diseases of cauliflower include black rot, club root and viral yellows. Crop rotation helps to prevent fungal and bacterial diseases. Viral diseases are primarily spread by insects.

Commercial production

Most of the vegetables produced in the United States come from the state of California. The seasonal average f.o.b. shipping-point price for cauliflower in 2004 was $33.00 per 100 pounds ($0.73/kg) according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.

Botanical varieties

Traditional varieties include 'Snowball', 'Hybrid White', 'Super Snowball', 'Snow Crown', 'Mayflower', Candid Charm', 'Mormon', 'Agrahani', 'poushi', 'maghi', 'Snow White', 'Snow Grace'. Self-blanching varieties are 'Self Blanche', 'Early Tuscan', 'Late Tuscan' and heirloom varieties include 'All the Year Round', 'Early Pearl', 'Early Snowball', 'Igloo', 'Viloetta Italia' and 'Walcheren Winter'.

Cauliflower and broccoli are the same species and have very similar structures, though cauliflower replaces the green flower buds with densely packed white flower buds. This high resemblance permitted a genetically engineered cross to be performed between these two species resulting in a new variety called a brocciflower. It has very pale green heads densely packed like cauliflower and a flavor similar to broccoli but should not be confounded with a broccoflower which is simply a variant cultivar.

Different colors

• Green cauliflower of the B. oleracea Botrytis group, called "Romanesco" has been commercially available in Europe since about 1990. Its head is a nice example of a fractal image in nature, repeating itself in self-similarity at varying scales.
• Orange cauliflower (B. oleracea L. var. botrytis) called "Orange Bouquet" is available in North America, sporting 25 times the level of Vitamin A of white varieties. This variety is a hybrid of a swamp-growing mutant found in Canada and a standard white cauliflower. Another orange cultivar goes by the name "Cheddar".
• Purple cauliflower also exists, originating in Southern Italy. The purple color is caused by the presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanin, which can also be found in red cabbage and red wine.

Nutrition

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density. As a member of the brassica family, Cauliflower shares with broccoli and cabbage several phytochemicals which are beneficial to human health, including sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed. In addition the compound indole-3-carbinol, which appears to work as an anti-estrogen, appears to slow or prevent the growth of tumors of the breast and prostate. Cauliflower also contains other glucosinolates besides sulfurophane, substances which may improve the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances.

Cauliflower also contain compounds which can be harmful to certain individuals, including goitrogens which suppress the functioning of the thyroid gland, and purine which is broken down into uric acid and can cause or aggravate gout or kidney stones.

Cooking

Cauliflower can be boiled, steamed or eaten raw. When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded. These should be broken into similar-sized pieces so the florets are cooked evenly. After eight minutes of steaming or five minutes of boiling the florets should be soft, but not mushy (depending on size). Stirring while cooking can break the florets into smaller, uneven pieces. Cauliflower is often served with a cheese sauce, as in the dish Cauliflower cheese, or with a meat gravy.

Low carb dieters can use cauliflower as a reasonable substitute for potatoes because while they can produce a similar texture, or mouth feel they lack the starch of potatoes; cauliflower is actually used to produce a potato substitute known as fauxtato.

External links

• Cauliflower for the home gardener
• Fractal dimensions of a green broccoli and a white cauliflower (Kim) (PDF)
• Cholesterol in Plants