Had spend a few days at Perth meeting up with some fine folks at the University of Western Australia...
Here is a post that I did not get to upload successfully before leaving for Perth the other day...
I have tried growing cauliflower on and off for a while... this picture above shows the mini-cauliflower we had.... it was only about 4 centimeters across... oohooo....
Still, a lovely vegetable it is...
Cauliflower apparently originates from around the Mediterranean region...
That veggie is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate...
It is a very good source of vitamin B5, potassium, dietary fiber, manganese, and molybdenum. Additionally, it is a good source of protein, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, and iron. (Source)
Yes, folate... what is this stuff, anyway....
Answer: Folate helps tissues grow and cells work.
This one was about 10 centimeters across... a little bit more 'normal' than the first one...
According to the same web source, boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes.
However, other preparation methods, such as steaming or stir frying have no significant effect on the compounds.
Furthermore, a high intake of cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
But sometimes I wonder, how much volume is this 'high intake' thingy... hopefully, it is not like having to eat three heads of cauliflower per day to enjoy this benefit... no?
Am just being cheeky here.... ;=)
Anyway, my suweeto haato cooked a really delicious curry with the cauliflower... that dish once again reminded me of how excellent the taste of home-grown veggies are, really....
Thanks for that. I know they say the lycopene in tomatoes is better absorbed after cooking. But I was wondering about the Vitamin K in cauliflowers. Happy to hear I can continue to stirfry and get my vitimultimins!
ReplyDeleteI love cauliflower but perhaps I should try harder after reading your post to steam it rather than simply boiling it.
ReplyDeleteCauliflower and a tasty cheese sauce topped with thin slices of grilled tomatoes is one of my favourite suppers!
Interesting info on cauliflower ! We don't eat much of it but actually now having read this, I'm going to make it more often. Welcome home.
ReplyDeleteI love growing and eating cauliflower - I just planted some out this week. They grew well for me last year and hopefully will again this year. Love the idea of all those health benefits - I knew I loved it for a reason.
ReplyDeleteI love cauliflower! I didin't know about the cooking time and nutrition loss! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI add cauliflower into dhall curry! ;)
If not mistaken, never heard about cooking curry with cauliflower back in Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteThis must be a Japanese recipe.
Nice. I didn't know such thing. I learned a lot. I need to eat cauliflower much more.
ReplyDeleteYour cauliflower looks wonderful, so good in fact that I am tempted to once again "try" growing some in our own garden this year. I honestly hadn't realized how healthy a food this was...very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post. I have tried cauliflower a few times over the years. I've had a couple of good crops and quite a few failures. I'm trying again this year so we will see how it goes!!
ReplyDeleteThis is one my favourite veges! Love to just stir-fry it with broccoli and carrot. Oh but not three heads a day haha... that's too much! ;-D
ReplyDeletePerfect heads of cauliflower. I tried growing cauliflower, did well one year only so I gave up. Glad to know stir-frying does not affect the nutritional value as that is how I cook it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cauliflower from your garden, so full of wonderful things to help keep you and your lady healthy...from webMD: "Cruciferous vegetables -- which include broccoli and cauliflower -- may help prevent polyps that can lead to colon cancer." I need to be including more of this in my diet...I enjoy both of them!
ReplyDeleteI always leave your blog wishing I had a missus!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information about the nutrient loss by boiling. I will remember to steam them next time rather than boiling.
ReplyDeleteI've never had luck growing cauliflower, your effort is impressive!
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