Eat Your Vegetables for Feb. 2, 2012

All of cauliflower edible enough for cooking, eating

Photo provided by Red Stick Farmers MarketHeads of cauliflower await customers at the Red Stick Farmers Market in downtown Baton Rouge. Pick up a head tto make Company Cauliflower or Easy Roasted Cauliflower.

Cauliflower is part of the cabbage family. In Barron’s “The New Food Lover’s Companion” by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, I read that Mark Twain said, “Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.”

The white, tight clusters of flower buds make a head that’s referred to as the curd. Although the curd is generally the part eaten, all of the cauliflower is edible.

The outer leaves and stems are tougher, but can be used in soups or stews.

You can plan on 4 to 6 servings per head of cauliflower. It can be cooked whole, broken into florets or simply washed and eaten raw. Overcooking, even for a short while, will cause the cauliflower to darken.