Laura Young
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Cauliflower has just come into season in Florida, and it will continue to be in "fresh from Florida" through March. So, this is a great time to get the most from it. This veggie is a member of the brassica family most commonly seen with white flower heads, although it also comes in orange, purpose, green and brown. When you eat cauliflower, your body gets a good dose of vitamin C plus lots of potassium and magnesium, along with excellent dietary fiber and traces of many other nutrients. Many people add bitesize florets to salads or enjoy them dunked in a dip like ranch or hummus as a snack. I grew up eating cauliflower boiled and topped with creamy cheese sauce. Nowadays, I prefer to toss cut-up cauliflower with oil, salt and herbs, then roast them for a few minutes. Roasted cauliflower is a great side dish and can become the main attraction when mixed with pasta and Parmesan cheese. When you fire up your grill, consider tossing on "steaks" of cauliflower for a stunning addition to the plate. Some creative ways to fix cauliflower include making tots (with cheese, egg and breadcrumbs), buffalo cauliflower or cauliflower "sheep" (with olive heads and green bean legs). Of course, cauliflower is a great addition to any stir-fry combination you're making. Some people who want to reduce their intake of carbohydrates substitute mashed cauliflower for potatoes, serve "pearls" of it in place of rice and even make pizza crust out of it. Wow! So next time you're buying produce, grab a head of cauliflower and enjoy! If you see a good deal on it while it's in season locally, you can buy several heads, blanch the extra florets and freeze them for later in the spring. It's no wonder that many cauliflower dishes use Italian herbs and cheeses. It was first cultivated in Italy around 1490. Then it caught on with farmers across Europe over several centuries and was brought to America with colonists in 1669. It became popular here in the 1900s, and today, the U.S. is the third-largest producer of cauliflower in the world. You can even grow your own cauliflower at home by setting out transplants through January and February.