Cauliflower Winter Aalsmeer

The 'Winter Aalsmeer' Cauliflower (in Latin, Brassica oleracea botrytis) is a very hardy variety, awarded by the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society, which withstands cold weather very well and produces beautiful creamy white bouquets, well protected by its foliage. Its growth is slow, making it a "long-term" crop. This cauliflower is sown from May to June for a harvest 40 to 46 weeks later.

A beautiful immaculate white and even, in recent years, cheerfully yellow, orange or violet, the Cauliflower is a flower vegetable whose fleshy meristem is consumed. It belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Crucifers) and bears the Latin name Brassica oleracea botrytis. Sometimes called Cyprus Cabbage, the Cauliflower is a biennial vegetable plant whose presumed origin is China.

Consumed for the first time in Germany only 300 years ago, this vegetable has found a special place 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. It is a low-calorie vegetable and rich in vitamin C.

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

Cauliflower is a demanding vegetable, requiring excellent basal fertilisation and regular moisture.

Harvest: 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 harvest. It can be stored 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 the cauliflower is the Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae), a pretty cream-white butterfly with small black spots that emerges 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 install and reusable to protect, for example, your carrot and leek crops.