Broccoli vs cauliflower
One broccoli (Early Dividend), one cauliflower (Early Dawn), but what’s that Violet Queen in the middle? The EDs are standbys, the VQ is new. It looks like broccoli, cooks like broccoli, tastes like broccoli, but it’s in the seed catalog as a purple cauliflower?! The VQ were transplanted really late, and I didn’t actually expect to see a harvest from them. But they showed up recently, and a couple of days ago, Bert, who buys lots of veggies here, saw them and decided to try a couple. “They’re broccoli,” he said. “Um, I believe they’re…cauliflower,” I said, while for the first time looking closely at ‘em. “Don’t argue with him, Bert, Mike knows what he’s talking about,” said Helen, his wife. Last night, we steamed some for dinner. BROCCOLI. Today, I harvested samples for a formal close look, but really, there’s broccoli and there’s cauliflower, it’s not hard. Broccoli. Next, a call to the seed house, where extremely knowledgeable head man Bill assures me that it is…CAULIFLOWER. It beads up more than some varieties, he says. So, I’m confused. It may not sound like a big deal, and it’s not at this time of year, but it does point up yet another aspect of market gardening: knowing what you grow. LOTS of talking about veggies goes on every market day, and I NEVER say things just for the sake of it. I name varieties, explain when I’m very familiar with a particular veggie, or when it’s new to me…honest conversation, although it’s “sales talk” as well. And people trust you to…know stuff. Anyhow, I just looked up Violet Queen online, and it’s indeed, apparently, cauliflower. I’d swear it’s broccoli, and I’m pretty positive that you would, too! Maybe I’ll grow more next year, for when I feel like sounding like a lunatic! :)
Somewhat related posts: • Broccoli flowers (flashback!) • Cabbage and cauliflower • Get it in, get it done! • Seedlings aplenty • Latest brassicas released
Robin said,
November 8, 2007 @ 8:15 pm
I grew this purple broccoflower this year. I bought cauliflower. I grew broccoli. The only thing that resembled cauliflower was the total lack of side shoots. This tastes good but not good enough to grow next year.
Ferdzy said,
November 8, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
It’s certainly very pretty!
Marc from Garden Desk said,
November 9, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
Whether its Broccoli or Cauliflower, I like the looks of it. Your picture is great! I will look for Violet Queen to grow next year. My kids would love it!
Thanks for sharing such an odd but interesting variety.
Sarah said,
December 9, 2007 @ 1:21 am
I just bought one yesterday and I cooked it for tonight’s dinner. My boy likes the colour but we would like to know how the purple colour comes from?
Mike (tfb) said,
December 9, 2007 @ 11:53 am
Sarah, veggie colors come from pigments. It’s all genetics, like different colors of hair or eyes or skin or whatever.
Information about veggie colors is interesting! I don’t keep much track of veggie nutritional value, though there’s a lot of info on it, because I don’t feel it’s all that useful for me to say stuff like, “oh, eat kale ’cause it’s high in this or that, which is good for this or that.” What do I really know?! But it’s still cool how the different pigments seem to have different nutritional and health properties, so it’s good to eat veggies by colors, a really colorful plate is better…
You can try searching in Google or Yahoo! for something like “vegetable color nutrition”. Here are a couple of interesting links: Colour is the key and Benefits of a Variety of Fruits and Vegetables.
eileen said,
May 11, 2008 @ 8:19 am
how do you keep your cauliflower and kale free of cabbage worm? ours are decimated by cabbage worm.
Mike (tfb) said,
May 11, 2008 @ 8:33 am
eilenn: Thankfully, I haven’t been visited by cabbage worm, so I don’t have an answer. Flea beetles are the scourge of the brassicas here, I absolutely have to use floating row cover over seedling transplants or the FBs would eat them to the stem.