The Cauliflower

Cauliflower is nearly identical to broccoli. The only differences are that cauliflowers are generally white, though there are purple, green and yellow varieties, and cauliflowers do not develop smaller heads or side shoots once the main head has been harvested.

The cauliflower is thought to have been cultivated 2000 years ago in the Eastern Mediterranean. By the 1300s, the vegetable was known in southern Europe and by the 1400s it was popular in northern Europe. In the United States, cauliflower did not become popular until the 1800s.

David Landreth II loved this vegetable and in his 1848 catalogue he wrote, “The Cauliflower is one of the most delicate and curious of the whole brassica tribe; the flower-buds forming a close, firm cluster or head, white and delicate, and for the sake of which the plant is cultivated. These heads or flowers being boiled, wrapped generally in a clean linen cloth, are served up as a most delicate vegetable dish. ‘Of all the flowers in the garden,’ Dr. Johnson used to say, ‘I like the Cauliflower.’”

Cauliflowers are best planted in summer for a fall or winter harvest. Seeds can be started in flats in spring and transplanted 4-6 weeks later or direct seeded in late spring or early summer. Plants should be 18 inches apart in rows separated by 24-30 inches. Cauliflowers grow best in cool weather. Excessive heat will cause dwarf heads to form. Cauliflowers need to be fertilized frequently with a fertilizer that has a high middle number like 5-10-5. They require consistent moisture. For the whitest heads, pull the outer leaves over the heads as soon as the head starts to form and secure the leaves with a rubber band.