Mystery Cruciferous Veggie

[Sheryl]

This photo was from a gourmet veggie tray at a wedding I went to last year. Most people saw the tray as an interesting sculpture... Piers and I ate them for dinner.

This was definitely related to cauliflower and broccoli... delicious and so pretty! I would get around to looking them up sooner or later... I love teasing everyone with mystery photos though. It's easy to take for granted the magical mysteries of just how much variety of food there is out there waiting for us. Raw is EXCITING and gives us SO MUCH MORE variety than cooked. I laugh when people ask how restrictive raw is!


http://www.raw-pleasure.com.au/raw-food-photos/albums/For%20RP%20Website%20Upload/Single%20Ingredients/mystery-vegetable_030575.jpg



Cheers,
Sheryl

[RawTruth]

You are WAY too funny - and amusing me to laughter at 1 a.m. my time!! Hmmm ... pair this photo with the cute purple-pink berries and what strange offspring there'd be.

I haven't the foggiest -- shall we name it?

[Sheryl]

Hi Raw Truth - I've been thinking its time for you to all sleep... I've been chatting to you all the whole day through here from about 8 am this morning. It's 6:14 pm here now in Eastern Australia.

Hmmm... now to think of a name. I think it should be your honour for staying up so late to post here. I forgive you for eating at Au Lac without me too! *GRIN* Next time make sure you call me though! I'll never pass though LA again without visiting there and will probably arrange a layover so I can visit!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Sheryl]

The research begins....

Cruciferous or Brassica vegetables include the expected including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower. But did you know that collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, turnips, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Arugula, horse radish, radish, wasabi and watercress are also cruciferous vegetables? How wild is that?!?!?!

Still no luck finding out what this one is...

Sheryl

[RawTruth]

Here ya go -- a fractalish cauliflower

http://www.math.toronto.edu/~drorbn/Gallery/Plants/Cauliflower-1.html

That's it for me -- I'm off to bed, prolly to dream of strange vegetables. And all your fault, Sheryl ;)

[Sheryl]

THANK YOU!!! How beautiful a name!

Sleep well!

[rawpriestess]

it does indeed look like a beautiful sculpture, talk about sacred geometry.


gorgeous fruit

[exurb]

IMO that is a Romanesco Broccoli hybrid (crossed with cauliflower). There is this old heirloom of broccoli called Romanesco (I buy it from Baker Creek www.rareseeds.com). Then they have hybridized it with cauliflower, etc., which is probably the precise veggie you have there with the yellow tone.

here is a link that shows a pic of romanesco broccoli

http://users.ncable.net.au/~urbanfoodgarden/Web/Vegetables/VEGETABLES%20VARIETIES/BROCCOLI_Romanesco.htm

shows the "fractal" pattern as raw truth called it, lol

I don't know exactly what that variety you have there would be called, but it could be a romanesco broccoflower or something like that if you want to try to search. I have seen them look like that and that is what they were technically, a romanesco broccoli crossed with a cauliflower. That specific one is probably crossed with one of the more orange cauliflowers.

If you decide to grow them in your garden, they will need very heavy feeding or soil that's very rich in nutrients, and they grow best in the cooler part of the season.

I found this link for romanesco broccoflower seeds for sale, though they don't seem to be as yellow/orange from the description (no picture).

http://www.kitchengardenseeds.com/cgi-bin/catview.cgi?_fn=Product&_category=9

Let us know if you find the exact variety, but there's a start for you anyway! And you were right about it being broccoli and cauliflower families.

[Arky]

IMO that is a Romanesco Broccoli hybrid (crossed with cauliflower).

Thankyou, exurb! I've been silently going crazy over this post, the past couple of days, because I KNEW I'd heard this vegetable variety described with another name, many moons ago, but I just could not put my finger on it - you just put me out of my misery because 'Romanesco' rings a resounding bell with me, it is exactly the name I have heard applied to his vegetable in the past :)


J.

[Arky]

If you decide to grow them in your garden, they will need very heavy feeding or soil that's very rich in nutrients, and they grow best in the cooler part of the season.

Sounds like an ideal application for OceanGrown sea water/mineral fertiliser solution, kelp, and rock dust, along with proper composted humus. Something I really wish I had the necessary land to become intimately acquainted with.


J.

[RawTruth]

shows the "fractal" pattern as raw truth called it, lolI can't take credit for that -- if you click on the link I inserted, you'll see that's just what they called it. Thanks for the info, exurb.

[exurb]

it does indeed look like a beautiful sculpture, talk about sacred geometry

rawpriestess, I was thinking this would grow perfectly in your PNW climate. I remember those photos of giant cabbages from Draggon's garden, I'm sure this veggie would be quite happy at your place.