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The cauliflower is a variety (group of botrytis) of brassica oleracea in the Brassicaceae family. It is an annual factory which reproduces by seeds. The cauliflower resembles the broccoli, to which one binds it closely, unless with the white buds very in mass packed of flower. Typically, only the head (white curdled milk) is eaten while the thick stem and entourage, sheets of green are thrown. The cauliflower most generally is eaten cooked, but it can also be believed eaten or marinated.
Nutritional Profile of Cauliflower
One cup of boiled cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C (91.5% of the DV), folate (13.6% of the DV), and dietary fiber (13.4% of the DV). That same amount of cauliflower also serves as a very good source of vitamin B5, vitamin B6, manganese and omega-3 fatty acids.
Cauliflower lacks the green chlorophyll found in other members of the cruciferous family of vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and kale, because the leaves of the plant shield the florets from the sun as they grow.
Cauliflower health uses and benefits
• Reduces risk of cancer, especially colon and stomach
Cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale, contain compounds that may help prevent cancer. These compounds appear to stop enzymes from activating cancer-causing agents in the body, and they increase the activity of enzymes that disable and eliminate carcinogens.
Epidemiological studies have long suggested a connection between these vegetables and resistance to cancer. However, only in the past decade have we begun to understand how these compounds work.
Cauliflower Plant
The plant is extremely sensitive to unfavorable conditions, such as unusually hot weather, drought or too low temperature, which often result in the formation of premature heads or curds. These "baby" cauliflower heads are called "buttons". With proper management cauliflower can be grown in North Carolina as either a spring or fall crop, although the fall crop will generally produce better quality.
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