mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) (07/06/90)
Anybody know the scoop on this "broccoflower" vegetable? I bought one for $1.79 today after hearing about it on TV! On TV, they said it is a cross between a broccoli and a cauliflower which was discovered in a farm in Holland a couple of years ago. I don't believe it! I think it's just a variant form of cauliflower. It doesn't have the taste, texture, or morphology of broccoli. The only broccoli-like feature it has is that it is green. So what's the straight story on "broccoflower"? Is it a multi-million dollar fraud on the American public (happy 4th, y'all)? I for one am plenty pissed I was tricked into paying $1.79 for a cauliflower!
ddeutsch@bbn.com (Debra Deutsch) (07/06/90)
Could it have been a purple cauliflower? It looks just like a cauliflower except the head is purple/green instead of white. I have seen purple cauliflowers in seed catalogs and in several markets here in the Boston area. Debbie Deutsch
hughes@blizzard.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Hughes) (07/06/90)
In article <31477@cup.portal.com> mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes: >Anybody know the scoop on this "broccoflower" vegetable? I bought >one for $1.79 today after hearing about it on TV! >On TV, they said it is a cross between a broccoli and a cauliflower >which was discovered in a farm in Holland a couple of years ago. If I'm thinking of what you're thinking, this vegetable also goes by the name of Romanesco broccoli; it has pointed, spiraling flower arrangements and is a pale yellow-green. I have seen Romanesco broccoli in the J. L. Hudson seed catalog for three years (when I started getting it). In there it is listed as an Italian variety. As to its origins, well, broccoli and cauliflower are already two varieties of the same species, so interbreeding is trivial, although varietal cultivation to a replicable phenotype is not. FYI, all the following plants are members of the same species (data from _Growing and Saving Vegetable Seeds_, by Marc Rogers, from Garden Way Publishing, not the most reliable source for botanical information, but plenty fine for gardening): Cabbage (Brassica oleracea capitata) Broccoli (B. oleracea italica) Brussels sprouts (B. oleracea gemmifera) Cauliflower (B. oleracea botyris) Kale (B. oleracea acephala) Kohlrabi (B. oleracea caulorapa) Also included (but not listed) are mustard (both seed and greens), rape (whence rapeseed, whence rapeseed oil, aka canola oil), several Chinese varieties of brocolli, and collard greens. (I'm not sure about all of these myself; anybody have a reference?) Eric Hughes hughes@ocf.berkeley.edu ucbvax!ocf!hughes
JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET (07/06/90)
When I last grew cauliflower, I had to tie the leaves up over the "flower" in order to get it to turn white -- it's originally green. Perhaps if you just leave it exposed it stays green? Seems pretty silly to charge more for something that requires less labor, but as Arlo Guthrie sez, "That's America!". ---- Josh Hayes, Department of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford OH 45056 jahayes@miamiu.bitnet, or jahayes@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu
alan@ikkyu.Eng.Sun.COM (Alan Marr, Animation) (07/07/90)
In article <HUGHES.90Jul6085636@blizzard.Berkeley.EDU> hughes@blizzard.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Hughes) writes: >In article <31477@cup.portal.com> mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert >Thorson) writes: >>Anybody know the scoop on this "broccoflower" vegetable? I bought >>one for $1.79 today after hearing about it on TV! >>On TV, they said it is a cross between a broccoli and a cauliflower >>which was discovered in a farm in Holland a couple of years ago. > >If I'm thinking of what you're thinking, this vegetable also goes by >the name of Romanesco broccoli; it has pointed, spiraling flower >arrangements and is a pale yellow-green. >... >Cabbage (Brassica oleracea capitata) >Broccoli (B. oleracea italica) I think that Romanesque Broccoli is a distinct variety (of broccoli) from the Broccoflower. I have seen and eaten both. They have the same color, flavor, and general shape, but true Romanesque Broccoli has a well formed recursive double nested spiral pattern of the buds, sub-buds, sub-sub-buds, etc. whereas Broccoflower is jumbled up and less organized. I tried growing R. Br. last year, but it never headed out. It went straight to flowers. I later found that this is called "bolting", and may have been due to the cool temperatures when it was budding. (c)Copyright 1990 Alan Marr. Permission given for electronic transmission and storage, but not for reproduction by mechanical, photographic, or optical means. Disclaimer: I accept no liability. My opinions are not necessarily anyone elses. "Extraordinary how potent cheap music is." Noel Coward, Private Lives.
tweaver@ducvax.auburn.edu (WEAVER_TERESA) (07/07/90)
In article <31477@cup.portal.com>, mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes... >Anybody know the scoop on this "broccoflower" vegetable? I bought >one for $1.79 today after hearing about it on TV! > >On TV, they said it is a cross between a broccoli and a cauliflower >which was discovered in a farm in Holland a couple of years ago. When I saw these in the grocery store, I thought they were just cauliflower heads. Reaching back in my memory (in other words, I may be off base here), when you grow cauliflower you tie the growing head up in the outer leaves. My father told me this was to blanch the head -- ie, make it turn from green to white. My original thought was that some enterprising cauliflower farmer came up with a way to make more money for less work ;-) Teresa
aem@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (a.e.mossberg) (07/07/90)
In <HUGHES.90Jul6085636@blizzard.Berkeley.EDU> hughes@blizzard.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Hughes) writes: >Cabbage (Brassica oleracea capitata) >Broccoli (B. oleracea italica) >Brussels sprouts (B. oleracea gemmifera) >Cauliflower (B. oleracea botyris) >Kohlrabi (B. oleracea caulorapa) According to my info, all of the above are cultivated varieties of kale. If I remember right, broccoli goes back to roman times, and cauliflower back to the 16th or 17th century. Don't know about the others. aem -- a.e.mossberg / aem@mthvax.cs.miami.edu / aem@umiami.BITNET / Pahayokee Bioregion State business is a cruel trade; good-nature is a bungler in it. - Marquis of Halifax
rlm@druhi.ATT.COM (MesenbrinkRL) (07/07/90)
According tAccording to an article the Summer '90 edition of The Grower's Edge, broccoflower is a new cross between broccoli and cauliflower developed by the Dutch. It has shape and texture of cauliflower and the green color and taste of broccoli. For those of you who would like to learn about hydroponics, this is an excellent magazine in my opinion. It is published 4 times a year for $19.95. The address is The Growing Edge, New Moon Publishing, PO Box 1027, Corvalis, OR, 97339. Bob Mesenbrink Denver
mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) (07/09/90)
I tend to believe the story that these are just regular cauliflowers which weren't tied up to shield them from the sun. The pieces of "broccoflower" around the edge of the head were partly white, where they were shielded by the leaves. Imagine that! $1.79 for a cauliflower )-;
ireland@ac.dal.ca (07/09/90)
In article <31547@cup.portal.com>, mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes: > Imagine that! $1.79 for a cauliflower )-; I hope everyone who can buy good produce at reasonable prices appreciates it. I grew up in California and took it for granted. I've lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia now for almost 4 years and am still shocked everytime I walk thru the produce section of the grocery store. Cauliflower here is sometime $5.00, and it usually has lots of brown spots on it. Produce here is very expensive and is spoiling by the time it shows up in the store , except of course for carrots and potatoes. Anxious to return to California, Keith Keith Conover Biochemistry Dept. Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia Keith@ac.dal.ca
beede@sctc.com (Mike Beede) (07/10/90)
rlm@druhi.ATT.COM (MesenbrinkRL) writes: >According tAccording to an article the Summer '90 edition of The >Grower's Edge, broccoflower is a new cross between broccoli and >cauliflower developed by the Dutch. It has shape and texture of >cauliflower and the green color and taste of broccoli. Well, apparently the Grower's Edge folks didn't taste one. I did. It was pretty much cauliflower-tasting except not as good. And I love brocolli, so this ain't just sour grapes ;-). Then again, maybe they really are just selling unblanched cauliflower as ``broccoflower'' in at least some cases. Also, $1.79 isn't so bad for cauliflower here earlier in the year. P.S., Has anyone ever found a use for those green smooth avocados? They seem pretty nasty to me compared to the wrinkly black ones (what I call _real_ avocados). They sure aren't made for eating by the slice. -- Mike Beede Secure Computing Technology Corp beede@sctc.com 1210 W. County Rd E, Suite 100 Arden Hills, MN 55112 (612) 482-7420
twain@blake.acs.washington.edu (Barbara Hlavin) (07/11/90)
In article <594@cbnewsb.ATT.COM> rlm@druhi.ATT.COM writes: > >According tAccording to an article the Summer '90 edition of The Grower's Edge, broccoflower >is a new cross between broccoli and cauliflower developed by the Dutch. It has I have seen this down at the Pike Place Market. I would try it just for its novelty, but I refuse to pay three times the price of either broccoli or cauliflower for novelty alone. It's not especially pretty, and if it tastes like cauliflower, I'd just as soon buy cauliflower. Has anyone actually *eaten* this thing? If so, does it offer any subtle variations of taste over either of its relatives? Is there *any* reason to pay an exorbitant price for this vegetable? (E.g., does it sing, tell jokes, turn shocking pink in the steamer?) --Barbara
suh@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Gerald Suh) (07/11/90)
In article <4939@milton.u.washington.edu> twain@blake.acs.washington.edu (Barbara Hlavin) writes: >In article <594@cbnewsb.ATT.COM> rlm@druhi.ATT.COM writes: >> > >Has anyone actually *eaten* this thing? If so, does it offer any subtle >variations of taste over either of its relatives? Is there *any* reason >to pay an exorbitant price for this vegetable? (E.g., does it sing, tell >jokes, turn shocking pink in the steamer?) > > >--Barbara I've *eaten* this thing. It was several months ago and if I remember correctly, I payed a little under $2.00. Too much, I think. This thing tastes a lot like cauliflower, but the texture is a little softer. I like my vegetables undercooked and crunchy but if you are into leaching all of the vitamins out and destroying those that aren't leached out, I don't think that you could tell the difference between broccoflower and cauliflower. The recursive shape of the broccoflower is kind of cool, but that's about all. Does it sing, tell jokes, turn shocking pink in the steamer? I haven't heard of any such thing, but I have heard that if the unsuspecting vegetable is cooked after midnight..... Happy eating, Gerald
dan@tinton.UUCP (07/13/90)
In article <1990Jul6.213628.13527@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> aem@Mthvax.CS.Miami.Edu writes: >In <HUGHES.90Jul6085636@blizzard.Berkeley.EDU> hughes@blizzard.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Hughes) writes: > >>Cabbage (Brassica oleracea capitata) >>Broccoli (B. oleracea italica) >>Brussels sprouts (B. oleracea gemmifera) >>Cauliflower (B. oleracea botyris) >>Kohlrabi (B. oleracea caulorapa) > > >According to my info, all of the above are cultivated varieties of kale. Nope. Kale: B. oleracea acephala The B. stands for the genus Brassica. Technically, I beleive that all of the above (or any plant of the genus Brassica) are varieties of mustard. I think that are also known as 'cruciferous veggies', being part of a family that either has four-pointed leaves or four-petalled flowers (can't remember which) that are suggestive of a cross. Then again, the closest I've ever been to a vegetable garden is the produce section... ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dan Masi (dan@tinton.tinton.ccur.com) 201-758-7699 Concurrent Computer Corp. 106 Apple Street Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
zs01+@andrew.cmu.edu (Zalman Stern) (07/24/90)
A colleague of mine brought some Broccoflower into work a while back. After we got over the "I'm not eating any of that mutant fractal food" jokes, I tasted some. Basically, its cauliflower with a slight broccoli flavor. I love both broccoli and cauliflower and thought broccoflower tasted good but not good enough to replace broccoli. The vegetable it self looks like a spiraling minaret and has a texture pretty close to cauliflower. Due to its interesting shape, broccoflower might lend itself to creative presentations. Sicnerely, Zalman Stern