AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
For sale
Vegetables, fruits and nuts: apples, arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, broccoli raab, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, cornmeal, endive, escarole, fennel, frisee, garlic, ginger, green onions, grits, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, lettuce, mizuna, mushrooms, mustard greens, Napa cabbage, pecans, peppers, polenta, popcorn, radicchio, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, sweet potatoes, turmeric, turnips and greens, winter squash
— From local reports
“The aristocrat of the broccoli family.” That’s how Mark Capps describes cauliflower.
“There aren’t too many white crops we grow above ground, and when cauliflower produces that big white head, it’s just perfect.”
Mark Capps and Lynn Teddlie of Straight from the Backyard Farm in Loganville have 6 acres in production. They sell their produce at the Saturday morning Marietta Square throughout the year and at the Tucker market in season.
Capps particularly likes to grow vegetables that he finds a challenge. Cauliflower can be a finicky crop to grow. But this fall’s six weeks of rain and overcast days turned out to be better for cauliflower than for broccoli. “I planted less cauliflower this year and more broccoli, but the cauliflower survived while the broccoli never formed good heads.”
“Less” cauliflower means he put in around 1,200 plants. “In the past we’ve planted a lot more than that, around 3,000 plants in the field. Last year I lost them all to rot,” he said.
Capps finds that cauliflower grows best for him in the fall. “There’s a short planting window, the very end of July through the first week of August. You can plant it in the spring, too, but the weather swings in spring, with cool weather and then a warming spell often means plants ‘button,’ developing misshapen, small heads. Cauliflower just doesn’t like weather swings like that. And when it gets too hot in the spring, the heads get ‘ricey,’ where the individual curds expand or puff out and look like rice kernels.”
With all those factors, it’s not a surprise that local cauliflower will only be available a few weeks of the year.
When cauliflower is happy here, it can grow to a surprising size. Five years ago, Capps grew cauliflower that made heads up to 10 pounds each. “People see a head that size and they think it’s too old, but the truth is it’s just large.”
Capps’ cauliflower crop includes four varieties: the all-American selection Candid Charm that makes big white heads; pale green Romanesco with pointed curds that have been compared to spikes and Christmas trees; Graffiti with purple heads; and Cheddar with orange heads.
All those colors make for a great display, but is there a difference in taste?
“Purple cauliflower has been around a long time in Europe,” Capp said. “The orange was developed from a rogue plant someone found in the 1980s in a Canadian field. I think the Romanesco is milder in flavor, while the purple and orange are pretty strong.”
The short harvest window for cauliflower is one of those things the farmer has to take into account as he plans what and how much to grow.
“You really don’t want to grow more than you can sell right away,” Capp said. “That’s what I’ve finally learned. Grow what you can sell. Otherwise, you’ve put in a lot of work for no payout.”
For a crop that has to be harvested quickly, cauliflower can be a good keeper when you get it home. “To tell if it’s really fresh, look at the bottom of the cut stalk. If it’s really firm, the cauliflower is fresh. It will keep a few weeks in the refrigerator.”
When he gets to enjoy the fruits of his labors, Capps likes to eat his cauliflower raw. “When it’s really fresh, you can tell the difference.”
Otherwise, his go-to recipe is to cook it liked mashed potatoes and serve it with a little butter.
Tabla’s Lassoni Gobi (Garlic Cauliflower)
Sandeep Kothary, owner of Tabla in midtown Atlanta, sent us this recipe for Lassoni Gobi. “Lassoni” means “garlic” and “gobi” is cauliflower in Hindi.
“As Chinese food was introduced into India, home chefs took the meat-heavy dishes and made vegetarian substitutes to fit the local diet and taste profiles. One of the most popular appetizers at Tabla, this delicious recipe uses both fresh garlic, chili-garlic sauce and garlic powder to heighten the garlic flavors in the Chinese-inspired sauce.”
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
Salt
1/4 cup water
1 head cauliflower, broken into 2-inch florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 minced clove garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 spring onions, sliced
Sliced spring onions and chopped parsley, for garnish
In a Dutch oven, heat 2 inches oil to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the cornstarch, flour, garlic powder, pepper and salt to taste. Stir in water, bit by bit, until a thick batter is formed. Add more water if needed.
When oil is ready, dip the cauliflower pieces a few at a time in the cornstarch mixture, making sure they are completely coated. Carefully drop the cauliflower into oil. Do not crowd Dutch oven. Fry until golden, about 4 minutes, then drain on a towel-lined plate.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Quickly stir in chili-garlic sauce and ketchup. When completely combined, stir in fried cauliflower, tossing to coat completely. Stir in spring onions and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Garnish with extra green onions and shopped parsley, if desired, and serve immediately. Serves: 6
Per serving: 282 calories (percent of calories from fat, 65), 2 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 21 grams fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 39 milligrams sodium.
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