Topic: Cauli-tastic......

[twinkletoes]

Good morning all.  I am sorry but I am just sooooooo stupidly excited (I'm over 50 for heaven's sake!) but on Saturday I took home my first bestist supermarket size perfect cauli!!!  I am just soooo happy. It was even more exciting because I didn't even notice it :o :o.   It was only because I was weeding and one cauli caught my eye and I thought I'll take that before it goes mankey....then I noticed my little prize winner.  I've not been successful before with caulis.........sorry to be a bore ..... ::) ::)
 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D twinkletoes

[ceres]

Not a bore at all!  It IS exciting when you've beaten the weather, the pests (sometimes of the human variety!), the diseases etc. and produced a fab specimen.  Hope it tasted good too!

[calendula]

best feeling in the world  :) - been an excellent year for caulis

[tim]

So how did you cook it? Or raw??

[twinkletoes]

It tasted delish.  Tim - I had it cooked and raw and will have it again tonight with half a ton of runner beans (that are growing amok!).  It was too good not to have some raw as I was preparing it to cook (steamed) - I'm drooling again now....... ;D
twinkletoes

[pippy]

My plot neighbour gave me one of his this year as he had 4 ready at the same time.  It's the first time I've ever realy enjoyed cauliflower raw!  ;D ;D  The supermarket stuff tasts like an old dishcloth by comparison.  I'll be trying to grow some next year!!

[twinkletoes]

I agree pippy.  Also, it doesn't take so long to cook?  Heaven knows what is done to the veg you buy in the shops......perhaps best not to know? ;D
twinkletoes

[pippy]

Yes - I did mine for 4 minutes in boiling water, then did a smashing cauliflower cheese with lots of powdered english mustard in the cheese sauce (you know the brand I'm sure!).  Just couldn't resist the raw stuff while I was cooking it tho .... and normally I'd wrinkle my nose at chomping the raw stuff.  Must be the freshness and lack of additives!  Made me feel quite virtuous - something I'm definately not when there's any cake in the house  :o

[kt.]

They do say that caulis are one of the hardest crops to grow.  If you can grow caulis then you can grow anything.......  apparently ::)

[cornykev]

Same here Twinkle, I was removing the yellow leaves from my cabbages when I notised a small colly that I never realised was there, so I whipped it out and it fed three of us for Sunny dinner.  ;D ;D ;D

[Debs]

Same here Twinkletoes.  I have grown caulis for first time & have been really impressed with results.

Debs

[bankieman]

Wish my Cau[is were as good?The heads dont stay compact but start to splay out and look horrible.Any ideas why this is happening?B.T.W new to allotments(3 months)and to forums - so please excuse mistakes.Im on a huge learning curve!

[twinkletoes]

Welcome bankieman.  I was having the same problem with my caulis last year (first full season allotmenteering) and was quite disappointed.  That's why I was just sooooooo excited about my unexpected find.  So, don't give up on them. 
twinkletoes

[manicscousers]

hiya, bankieman, welcome to a4a, we grow overwintering caulis, they seem to get all the moisture they need and not the heat so do better than our summer ones  :)