Cauliflower, a Light and Dietary Meal

Cauliflower, Light and Dietary Food

Cauliflower (brassica oleracea var. botrytis) is a brassica vegetable that is easily available and full of valuable nutrients. Cauliflower was bred on the Arabian Peninsula, from where it spread to Europe.

Growing Cauliflower

In home gardens, cauliflower is not grown very often. It is demanding in terms of warmth and quality soil.

Therefore, it is recommended to dig and fertilize the soil in autumn. Dig the soil to a greater depth.

We need to pre-grow cauliflower seedlings - either in March in a cold frame or greenhouse, or from February to April in a seed tray. We plant them in the garden bed only after the last frost. We recommend digging mowed grass into the bed to warm the plants from below.

Cauliflower prefers partial shade, so we don't plant it in direct sunlight. We recommend additional fertilizing, but monitor the nitrogen content. Cauliflower benefits from regular watering; we don't water directly on the plants but between rows in the bed.

We distinguish cauliflower varieties:

• early
• mid-season
• late

The first two varieties are planted in the bed at 50x60 cm spacing, late variety at 60x70 cm.

Cauliflowers can also have various color mutations. However, the most common is the variety with white curd.

From the seed tray or cold frame, we transplant seedlings apart as soon as they have their first leaf. This forces the plants to develop more abundant roots.

Dense planting is not beneficial for cauliflower. The more space the plant has, the larger curd it will develop.

When the cauliflower starts to open its inner leaves and there is a curd between them, we can tie the leaves together with string, or fold the first leaves inward so that sunlight cannot penetrate the curd. We then check the curd daily to ensure it doesn't burst open.

Cauliflower has a growing period of approximately 55 to 100 days, depending on the variety. We harvest cauliflower from June to November. We protect it from pests with fleece fabric along the entire length of the bed.

Vitamins

Cauliflower contains large amounts of vitamin C, B, E, K and fluorine, copper, iodine, zinc. Also antioxidants that support our immune system. It contains folic acid, minerals and fiber. It is part of weight-loss diets (100g of cauliflower contains 85KJ, 1g protein, 0g fat, 4g carbohydrates).

Cauliflower is rich in potassium, which helps drain excess water from the body and thus helps lower blood pressure.

Cauliflower is not suitable for gallbladder diets and for people suffering from gout. On the other hand, it is suitable for kidney inflammation.

Cauliflower in the Kitchen

Cauliflower has a slightly spicy taste - it enlivens any menu with its flavor and variety of dishes we can prepare from it. We cook cauliflower healthily by steaming, or traditionally prepare it fried. With cauliflower, we use the thickened inflorescence to prepare dishes.

The most popular dish is traditional fried cauliflower. Instead of triple coating, we can coat the cauliflower in, for example, corn flour (polenta).

Pickled cauliflower in vinegar brine with onion and carrot is an excellent accompaniment in cold cuisine or as an appetizer.

Cauliflower can be used in soups, whether creamy or in vegetable broth. Pre-cooked cauliflower also works well in baked dishes - baked potatoes or pasta. We can also prepare meat with vegetables where cauliflower is included. As a warm appetizer or as oven-roasted vegetables. Also in salads with sweet and sour dressing.

Cauliflower can also be stored in the freezer, but we store it portioned into smaller florets.

Tip: Cook cauliflower uncovered - it releases sulfur compounds that can negatively affect its taste.