cauliflower in the garden

I'm very fortunate to live in an area where we have an extended growing season.  While I miss certain crops that need cold weather to grow well (like currants) I'm loving the veggies that come out of my garden.

This lovely picture is the purple cauliflower that is currently growing in the garden.  It's delicious and tastes just like the white cauliflower that we are all used to.  The purple color comes from anthocyanins, a highly active antioxidant.

As a cruciferous vegetable cauliflower is, of course, high in fiber.  It also provides excellent levels of vitamin C, K, and folate.  It's delicious steamed, baked, roasted, and can even be eaten raw.

The tastiness doesn't stop with the florets.  Those lovely leaves are also edible.  I often use them as a green vegetable in stir fry or sauteed with onions and garlic.  A friend of mine recently told me that he used his in place of kale to make cauliflower chips and they were delicious.  I love kale chips and so I'm going to have to try that with this batch of greens.