General Description/History

• Member of the cabbage family
• White solid flower heads
• Surrounded by green leaves
• Related to cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts.

Select cauliflower with a clean, white head and firm, compact flower clusters. The leaves should not be wilted and the stalks should have a fresh appearance.

Cauliflower is most commonly used as a side vegetable, either boiled or steamed, and often served with a cheese sauce. It can also be cut into small raw florets and served with dip along with other vegetable crudites, or in salad and stir-fry. Cream of cauliflower soup is delicious and easy to prepare. Cauliflower is also well suited to vegetable pie and lasagne.

Cauliflower is a cool climate crop which grows in sandy soil. Regular irrigation is essential once young heads have formed.

The cauliflower is a member of the brassica family which also includes all kinds of cabbage, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts and kohlrabi. The word cauliflower is derived from two Latin words caulis which means stalk, stem or cabbage, and the floris which means flower. The cauliflower is native to the Mediterranean.

Nutritional Value

A good source of vitamin C, potassium and folic acid. 80kJ/100g.

Storage/Handling

0°C and 90 -100% relative humidity.

Consumer Storage: Store in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper.

Interesting Facts and Myths?

Although they look very different, cabbage, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are all the same species of plant. The differences between these plants are the results of thousands of years of human cultivation and selective propagation.

Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers.

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Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (Brassicaceae)

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Growing Areas: 

QLD – Gatton, Laidley, Lockyer Valley, Stanthorpe
NSW – Bathurst, Camden, Cowra, Dareton, Forbes, Gosford, Griffith, Hunter Valley, Mudgee, Naro, Outer Sydney, Windsor
VIC – Werribee
TAS – North West Coast
SA – Adelaide Hills, North Adelaide Plains, Riverland
WA – Carnarvon, Manjimup, Perth Metropolitan Outer Areas
NT – Darwin, Katherine