What
to do? What to do? Let me clarify. I’m about finished harvesting our
Romanesco. Romanesco is also called
Romanesco Broccoli or Roman Cauliflower.
It’s called this because it originated in Italy. This is the second year I’ve planted it, and
it is a prolific producer! Not only does
it produce well, but it is simply striking to look at!
A nice head of Romanesco |
Romanesco
is chartreuse in color and really stands out in the garden as it contrasts
against the other green items. Apart
from the eye-catching color, there’s another thing that makes you do a
double-take. Romanesco is made up of
spirals – logarithmic spirals. What I
mean is, each bud is a spiral made up of other buds which are spirals which are
made up of other buds which are spirals, which are… Well, you get the point…
Spirals upon spirals upon spirals... |
Since
it is a brassica, it is a close relative of the broccoli and cauliflower. I find Romanesco to be a little crunchier than
a cauliflower, with a taste approximating a cross between broccoli and
cauliflower. I walked out to the garden
with a sharp knife and a large stainless steel colander. In no time, I more than filled the colander
up!
I need a bigger bucket! |
As
I was walking back in to bring them to the kitchen, I was looking at the bounty
from “le jardin,” and I just had to set the colander down and admire the
color. The sunlight filtering through
the blooming pear tree just made the Romaneso light up like a neon sign. I’m sure my old camera didn’t really do it
justice, but at least you can see a little bit of what I’m talking about:
Beautiful Chartreuse Romanesco |
I’ve
talked a lot about what the Romanesco looks like, but very little about what it
tastes like. It tastes great! We normally cut it up, stems and all, and
arrange it on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and chopped garlic, and then
roast in the oven. Talk about good! You can eat the leaves of the Romanesco as
well, roasted in the same fashion.
However, the cows were begging by the fence and I obliged them with the
leaves of the vegetables. They were very
appreciative.
Roasted Romanesco |
If
you are interested in trying this psychedelic vegetable in your garden and
watching things around you spiral out of control, this is where I purchase my
seeds: http://www.rareseeds.com/romanesco-italia-broccoli/
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