Have you ever wondered about the bundles of bamboo stems you see for sale just about everywhere, from novelty stores to warehouse clubs?They’re called “lucky bamboo,” and despite their ubiquitous presen
06.06.2023 - 18:28 / gardenerspath.com / Nan Schiller
When and How to Blanch Maturing Cauliflower HeadsCauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, is a cool-season cruciferous crop that can be challenging to grow.
Many different varieties are available in shades of green, orange, purple, and white.
White types need to have their heads sheltered in order to produce a crop with a snowy color and sweet flavor, in a process known as blanching.
This isn’t the same thing as the practice of par-boiling veggies by dunking them in boiling water before plunging them into an ice bath that you’re probably familiar with.
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Blanching is the simple practice of binding large outer leaves together over and around developing cauliflower heads, to prevent them from yellowing or browning and developing a bitter flavor due to an overabundance of sun exposure. Some older white varieties can even turn shades of blotchy purple.
In this brief article, you will learn when and how to blanch cauliflower with its own leaves.
When the Time Is RightAbout a month after sowing, healthy cauliflower plants will be lush with leafy foliage. At this time, the first tiny heads should begin to appear. Check our our cauliflower growing guide if you are just getting started.
Some cultivars, like ‘Early White Hybrid,’ have foliage that grows upward and outward, away from the heads. This does little, if anything, to shade the developing heads from the sun.
These varieties require blanching by hand to protect them from damage.
Others, such as ‘Snowball Self-Blanching,’ will naturally wrap their inner leaves around the maturing heads.
Often this is enough to successfully shelter them from the intense rays, but they,
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