IN SEASON
WARM CAULIFLOWER SALAD
Serves 4
FOR THE SPICED CHICKPEAS 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed Half tsp ground cumin Quarter tsp paprika Quarter crushed chillies
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SALAD 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil Half caulifl ower, sliced 150g fresh spinach Lemon wedges, for serving
1 To make the spiced chickpeas, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chickpeas, cumin, paprika, crushed chillies, and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook the chickpeas, stirring occasionally, for approx. 12–15 mins until crisp. Transfer to a plate.
2 In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil. Add the caulifl ower and cook, stirring, until browned on both sides.
3 Add the spinach, return the chickpeas to the pan and cook, stirring, until the spinach is slightly wilted. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.
Reset Your Gut by Robyn Youkilis, published by Kyle Books
Enjoying mild temperatures and moist soils, caulifl ower is the ideal vegetable to be grown through the British winter. Garden Supervisor, Katie Kingett, from The Lost Gardens of Heligan gives us a little insight into the history, varieties and growing traits of this brilliant brassica.
Caulifl ower has undergone a resurgence in popularity of late with caulifl ower rice, couscous and steak adorning supermarket shelves in recent months and generating much debate. Low in calories and high in vitamin C this cruciferous vegetable can be included in your diet as a healthy alternative to high carb foods. T is versatile vegetable can be eaten raw, sautéed or steamed, and sowing diff erent varieties will provide you with a caulifl ower crop almost year- round. Caulifl ower hummus is another way in which to enjoy fresh, crisp caulifl ower heads and high fi bre veg. It’s a recipe I’ve only recently been introduced to but can defi nitely recommend.
VARIETIES
Cornwall has long been a staunch supporter and grower of the humble cauli, due to its mild climate which allows for an extended harvesting period. At T e Lost Gardens of Heligan we grow two heritage caulifl owers – Autumn Giant and All the Year Round. A popular variety, Autumn Giant dates back to 1838 and produces large fi rm, compact curds which keep for a long period if protected by foliage. All Year Round is a reliable variety which can be sown throughout the year in open ground or in cold frames to extend the cropping season. In addition, we have introduced North Foreland F1 to further extend the cropping season into February and March.
Summer varieties are sown mid-spring; autumn varieties are sown from mid-to-late spring; and winter varieties in late-spring. T is will then provide a crop from late-summer through to the following spring. Space summer and autumn cropping types 60cm/2ſt apart, and winter varieties 75cm/30in apart. ‘Snowball AGM’ is
26 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER GROWING CONDITIONS
T ough deemed by many as a challenging crop, the satisfaction of devouring a successful bounty of crunchy caulifl ower is a real delight and well worth including in your gardening plans for 2018. Caulifl owers require rich deep soil and a sunny site. Add manure to enrich the soil, but fi rm the soil before planting by treading. It’s essential to water well during dry weather as any checks to growth can lead to deformed heads. Use a mulch to conserve moisture and water well enough to ensure the root zone is wet. Water plants well the day before transplanting, dig a deep hole and plant up to the fi rst set of leaves. Bending a few leaves over summer types will protect curds from strong summer sun. Repeat the same process in the winter to protect less hardy varieties from frost. Cut heads while fi rm and enjoy. Crisp, nutritious and colourful, there really is the perfect caulifl ower out there for everyone.
a great home garden variety, producing dwarf compact plants, which can be grown closer together than others. If space is restricted try growing ‘Igloo’ which can be grown for mini- caulifl owers or leſt at wider spacing for larger heads.
Although caulifl ower curds are traditionally white, there are a number of colourful varieties which produce, purple, lime green and orange curds. Look out for ‘Violetto Scilia’, ‘Sunset F1’ or ‘Trevi’ for purple, orange and pale green heads to add interest to your vegetable patch. T e Heritage Seed Library has additional historic varieties available for those of you who would like to champion forgotten crops, such as ‘St George’, which produces huge football-sized curds or ‘English Winter’, which won a fi rst class certifi cate from the RHS in 1873. For those of you with a penchant for romanesco caulifl ower, Real Seeds provide an autumn maturing variety called ‘Ottobrino’.
Caulifl ower King of the Cruciferae
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