Cabbage Flowers
Magnolias
- General & History
- Varieties
- Health Considerations - amd nutrition
- Links - to information on Cabbages
General & History
Most cabbages have small clusters of flowers on fleshy stems, but plant breeders have coaxed some into producing huge densely packed flower heads which are highly edible when immature. If they are allowed to mature and the flowers open they become bitter.
Varieties
Broccoli - [Brassica oleracea
Group Italica]
Broccoli was probably known in Roman times, though it probably looked much
more like today's Chinese Broccoli. It continued to be developed
by growers to produce the large flower heads we know today. These heads are
harvested and eaten well before maturity because they will open into yellow
flowers and become mushy and bitter. Broccoli stems are also quite edible,
though older and tougher ones may need to be peeled. Like other cabbages,
broccoli is high in fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants and is suspected of
significent anticancer benefits. The photo specimens were about 5-1/2 inches
across, 5-1/2 inches long and weighed 13 ounces. Broccoli is often sold in
narrower heads and/or with longer stems.
Details and Cooking.
Broccoli, Chinese
- see
Chinese Broccoli is closely related to
European Broccoli, but is used as a green, the flowers being few and tiny.
Broccoli Rabe
- see
Rappini which is actually a
turnip green, though it looks a lot like Chinese broccoli which is actually
broccoli while most other Asian greens are turnips.
Brocciflower - [Brassica oleracea Group ????]
In appearance similar to Broccoflower this is
an artificial genetically engineered cross between sexually incompatible
Cauliflower and Broccoli. Denounced as "Frankenfood" it has not been really
commercially successful but is still found in supermarkets now and then.
If you are concerned, check the spelling - "o" is OK.
Broccoflower - [Brassica
oleracea Group Botrytis??]
Is it a cauliflower or a broccoli? It's origin is uncertain so plant
geneticists aren't sure. One thing is certain, it's not a cross between a
cauliflower and a broccoli because the two are sexually imcompatible (see
Brocciflower). The "curd" is
medium green, a bit looser than regular cauliflower and it's a bit
stemmier. The photo specimen was 6 inches across and weighed 1 pound 4-1/2
ounces. Without leaves and their stems it weighed 13 ounces (63% yield).
Taste is considered somewhat lighter and sweeter than regular cauliflower
but it's also much easier to overcook.
This cabbage grows a huge cluster of flower buds that never mature. Called
the "curd", this cluster may be white, lime green or orange depending on
variety and how it's grown. For white varieties, leaves are tied over the
curd to protect it from the sun so it will remain white and mild in flavor.
The orange variety is actually a cross between a wild swamp growing mutant
found in Canada and a regular white cauliflower - it has many times the
vitamin A content of white cauliflower. While cauliflower curd is sterile
and will never mature, a plant left to grow will eventually develop side
branches with viable flowers and seed, which is how cauliflower is propegated.
Cauliflower leaves are used in some cuisines, but are never available in
supermarkets or even farmer's markets, at least not around here.Purple Cauliflower -
[Brassica oleracea Group Italica]
It looks like a cauliflower but the ISHS says it's a broccoli (see under
Romanesco). In any case it's got a case of anthocyanin
pigments, an antioxidant found also in red cabbage and red wine.
This flowering cabbage is a stunning demonstration that nature encodes
large amounts of genetic information as mathematical fractals. Although
first reported from Italy in the 16th century, acceptance of this variety has
been held back by a fierce dispute as to whether it is a broccoli or a
cauliflower. The ISHS (International Society for Horticultural Science) has
published a study the abstract for which states, "Multivariate analyses
are presented which support the view that cultivars grouped within the form
Purple Cauliflower should be placed in the same botanical variety as
Broccoli/Calabrese (var. italica) and those of Romanesco with
Cauliflower (var. botrytis)". So there, now you can eat it - but take care,
it reacts very poorly to over-cooking, steam until just tender.
Health Considerations
Both broccoli and cauliflower are considered highly nutritious and packed with vitamins, minerals, and a very high antioxidant content. They are considered to offer some of the most effective anti-cancer benefits known.