Featured Vegetable: Cauliflower

              In another county in Maine a concerned gardener asked if his cauliflower that has a purplish tint would be safe to eat.  Apparently the florets were starting to turn purple in the developing heads.  Well, before you decide to dig up plants like this, rest assured that they are fine to eat.  Some varieties will show varying degrees of purpling that disappears once you cook it.   The taste is not affected.

Also, there are new cultivars of cauliflower that develop completely purple heads.  When these are cooked they turn green.  Again the taste is similar to the regular colored cauliflower. 

Speaking of green in cauliflower heads, if your plants aren’t self blanching you need to tie the wrapper leaves up around the developing head (when its about the size of a door knob) so the sun doesn’t turn the head green.  Exposure to the sun will turn the white curds of the cauliflower head green.  Again, it is fine to eat, but a different color than you expected and a little tougher.

Another problem gardeners encounter with cauliflower is the premature heading or buttoning of the curd.  For successful production of cauliflower, a fertile, moist soil relatively high in organic matter and nitrogen is needed.  Any condition that reduces the vigor of the plant and retards the vegetative growth, such as inconsistent watering, cold temperatures at transplanting appear to encourage buttoning.  

Cauliflower are in the same plant family as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale and kohlrabi. 

Source: 2006-2007 New England Vegetable Management Guide, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and other Brassica Crops, pg. 78-79.

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