Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) used to be a rather obscure vegetable but is very popular these days. The one I chose is Amazing Taste Cauliflower. I have to admit cauliflower has never been one of my favorite vegetables, but I am going to cook it with recipes from America’s Test Kitchen. I got their Vegetables Illustrated book and it had some interesting recipes for cauliflower.
Growing Cauliflower
The cauliflower head is composed of immature flowers and is called a curd. The goal is to get a large curd but to harvest it before the flowers open. Cauliflower needs well-drained soil with lots of organic matter in it. The pH should be between 6-7.
Starting Seeds
Cauliflower does best when the plants are started indoors. If you don’t want to start them, you will need to buy transplants from a reputable nursery. The advantage of starting seeds indoors is that you can grow cultivars that the nursery may not have. Place the seeds in a tray of seed starting mix. Water the seeds in. Make sure the soil is moist but not soggy or the seeds will rot. The seeds need sunlight, so putting them in the window is wise.
Start the seeds four to six weeks before you plan to plant them. When the plants have two true leaves, start fertilizing with a water-soluble fertilizer mixed at half strength. Every two weeks, water the plants with the fertilizer mixed at full strength. Your plants must be hardened off or they will die of transplant shock when you plant them.
Transplants
Most reputable nurseries sell cauliflower seedlings. When planting, space the plants 18 inches apart. Make sure the rows are far enough apart that air can circulate around the seedlings. Water the seedlings in.
Watering
To make a full, flavorful curd, cauliflower needs at least an inch of water a week. Dry plants produce thought, fibrous, curds with an off-flavor.
Fertilizer
When the plants are four inches tall, fertilize with a balanced fertilizer for vegetables. Every four weeks, apply the fertilizer to the soil beside the plant and mix it in the dirt. Water after you do this so the fertilizer soaks down into the root zone.
Weeds
Vegetable plants need a lot of sun, water, and nutrients to produce the vegetable we eat. Make sure you keep your vegetable garden weed-free. Weeds are easiest to control when they are young, so weed often. Weeds crowd out vegetables, use up water and nutrients, and make it hard for your vegetable plants to thrive.
Blanching
When you can see the curd forming, make a tent out of the leaves around it to shield the curd from the sun. This is called blanching and is done so you get a white head. If planting colored cauliflower, this is not necessary. These plants need the sun to develop their color.
Harvesting
Cut the curd when it reaches usable size. Leaving the curd too long risks it becoming loose, them blooming. Cauliflower will keep about a week in the refrigerator. You can freeze it, can it, or pickle it so you can have the cauliflower later in the year.
