CAULIFLOWER 1/2

CAULIFLOWER 1/2

Packed with essential nutrients, cauliflower (cabbage flower) is one of familiar vegetables. Its compact flower heads hold numerous health benefiting phtyo-nutrients such as vitamins, indole-3-carbinol, sulforaphane etc., that help prevent overweight, diabetes and offer protection from prostate, ovarian, and cervical cancers.

Botanically, it is a member in the cruciferous or brassicaceae family of vegetables and has similar nutritional and phyto-chemistry profile as that of other brassica family veggies like broccoli and cabbage.

Likewise that of broccoli, cauliflower head too is made up of tightly clustered florets that begin to form but halt at its budding stage. This cool-season vegetable prefers fertile, adequate moisture in the soil to flourish. Several cultivars exist other than common snow-white variety, including green, orange, purple, and romanesco heads.

To keep its flower heads creamy white, they should be protected from sunlight, which, otherwise would turn them green due to photosynthesis. Farmers in the field, therefore, cover close-by leaves together over the heads when they reach about quarter of their destined size. Fully grown flower heads should be harvested at the right time in order to avoid them turning over-matured. Over matured head loses compactness and its surface become grainy, discoloured, and no longer own tenderness, and flavour