Page 11 - ALG Issue 4 2023

vegetables
Cauliflower Power
The humble cauliflower has bloomed. Once a soggy side at school dinners, this bland brassica is now the highlight of many an Instagram snap or hip restaurant menu. And whilst edible trends tend to come and go, the craze for cauli seems to be here to stay.
ROMANESCO
VERONICA
Somewhere
between cauliflower
and broccoli,
Romanescos have
an eccentric shape and
nutty taste. This organic hybrid has an RHS award and full flavoured green florets. It’s ideal for late summer and autumn harvesting.
GREEN TREVI F1
This autumn variety
has striking lime
green curds and
curled leaves. It has a
fine, subtle flavour and
stands in good condition
for several weeks. Cauliflower cheese will never be the same again!
ROMANESCO
(AMORESCO®)
AMO 125 F1
A breeding
breakthrough and
new to the UK, this
variety is the first orange
Romanesco! It even retains its colour after cooking. The spears are more tender than ordinary cauliflower, is perfect for piccalilli, makes a tasty cauliflower cheese and is delicious eaten raw due to it’s delicious nutty flavour.
In culinary terms, cauliflower is often treated as a blank canvas, partly because it is fairly flavourless on it’s own. This cruciferous vegetable has a tightly packed texture, lending itself to being served as vegan steaks, chopped as a rice alternative, deep fried as ‘cauliflower wings’ and let’s not forget the classic comforting cauliflower cheese.
It’s a versatile veg; useful raw in salads, puréed, mashed, grated, roasted and it freezes well. Don’t throw the stems – they are equally nutritious and can be used
as a base for soup bases and in slaws. Cauliflowers have a reputation for being tricky to grow, but with the right planning, growing conditions and care, you can cultivate a cauli to rival any of those in the shops.
There are hundreds of varieties of cauliflower. A reliable variety is ‘All The Year Round’, one of the easiest to grow and can harvested from spring through to autumn. But to make the extra effort worthwhile, why not have a go at growing a stand-out variety?
HERE ARE 5 CAULIFLOWERS TO WOW:
GRAFFITI F1
This variety has
stunning deep purple
cauliflower curds -
perfect for adding
colour to any summer
or autumn dish. This
variety is sweeter, nuttier and without the bitterness sometimes found in white cauliflower. The colour intensifies with exposure to light.
BORIS F1
With an RHS award,
this is an ideal
summer or early
autumn cauliflower
with good size pure
white curds. Ideal for
exhibition and the kitchen. Can be sewn in October and ready in 85-90 days from sowing. Withstands all weather conditions and thrives in a range of soil types.
All these amazing varieties of cauliflower are available to buy from Kings Seeds
COMPANION PLANTING TIP:
Try growing cauliflowers with mint to deter flea beetles. Nasturtiums planted nearby will help to draw cabbage white butterflies away from your crop.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 11