Cauliflower Neckarperle

The 'Neckarperle' Cauliflower (in Latin, Brassica oleracea botrytis) is a variety that produces beautiful round heads of snow-white colour, protected by relatively abundant foliage. This cauliflower is sown under cover from March to June for planting 5 to 6 weeks later and harvested from June to November.

With its pure white colour and even, in recent years, joyfully yellow, orange or purple, the Cauliflower is a flowering vegetable whose fleshy meristem is consumed. It belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae) and bears the Latin name Brassica oleracea botrytis. Sometimes called Cyprus Cabbage, the Cauliflower is a biennial vegetable plant originally from China.

Consumed for the first time in Germany only 300 years ago, this vegetable has found a place of honour in our kitchens because it lends itself to many preparations. It can be eaten raw in salads or cooked, plain, in a gratin with béchamel sauce, or accompanied by a curry sauce that complements its flavour very well. It is a low-calorie vegetable and rich in vitamin C.

There are many varieties of Cauliflowers, each with a distinct growing period that must be respected. Thus, by carefully choosing your seeds, you can have this vegetable all year round.

The Cauliflower is a demanding vegetable requiring excellent organic fertilisation and regular moisture.

Harvest: The Cauliflower is harvested when its head is compacted by cutting it at ground level.

Storage: Cauliflower does not keep very well. It is best to consume it quickly after harvesting. It can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it after blanching it for 3 minutes in salted boiling water.

Gardener's tip: The main enemy of cabbage is the Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae), a pretty cream-white butterfly with small black spots that wakes up in April-May to wreak havoc all summer by devouring its leaves. While spraying a solution based on Bacillus Thuringiensis is an acceptable curative measure, we prefer, in our garden, to opt for prevention by installing insect-proof netting tightly on market garden hoops. These nets are easy to set up and reusable to protect, for example, your carrot and leek crops.