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Is this cauliflower decaying or is it moldy?

gfweb

By gfweb
in Cooking

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gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted

They get this way too quickly.  Anyone know if its just "over-ripening" or a fungus?006.jpg

BeeZee

BeeZee

Posted
Posted

agreed, I usually see that after it's been in the fridge for a while. I'm with Pastrygirl, trim away.

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Invariably it starts on the highest point of a florette and then spreads laterally.  This would fit with trauma starting the process.

BeeZee

BeeZee

Posted
Posted

I assume that it happens where the plastic wrap/covering comes in contact with the top, trapping some moisture...since I usually try to put mine in the veg drawer "face up". I treat it as if it is mold and cut off a decent amount below where it occurs.

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted (edited)

 Yep at eight dollars a head which is what we are paying for it at the moment we rescue as much as we can!   I have often wondered if we can mitigate the damage by cutting it into florettes and storing it that way. Not many of us find a need to cook a whole head.  

Edited by Anna N (log)
  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted (edited)

it comes from a slight bruising of the area typically from mechanical handling / packaging. 

the damage is already done, but may not be evident, when you pick it up in the store/vegetable stand. 

 

kept long enough, the bruised area(s) go brown.  slice it off - proceed to chomp.....

Edited by AlaMoi (log)
  • Like 3
FeChef

FeChef

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Anna N said:

 Yep at eight dollars a head which is what we are paying for it at the moment we rescue as much as we can!   I have often wondered if we can mitigate the damage by cutting it into florettes and storing it that way. Not many of us find a need to cook a whole head.  

Holy crap $8 ? Definitely glad cauliflower is one of my least favorite vegetable.

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Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

Yup.  And it is one of my favourite vegetables. 

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted

Not to rub it in - but almost daily $1 for a huge head at the dollar store......  The local South Asian population piles them up in their baskets.

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ChocoMom

ChocoMom

Posted
Posted

I've found that those green plastic bags which are marketed to keep salad/veggies fresh longer, actually work pretty well with cauliflower. $8/head is pretty steep---so the bags might be worth trying.  I have cauliflower on my "to grow" list for next spring.

 

I grate cauliflower and use it in place of rice sometimes, or make a veggie cassarole out of it. Steamed, then mashed up with butter, cheese and bacon pieces...its a great lo-carb sub for mashed potatoes.  =)

-Andrea

 

A 'balanced diet' means chocolate in BOTH hands. :biggrin:

FeChef

FeChef

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, heidih said:

Not to rub it in - but almost daily $1 for a huge head at the dollar store......  The local South Asian population piles them up in their baskets.

I was thinking i bet Aldi's has heads for way less then $8. If people want to pay that much good for them, but thats just way too much for a vegetablwe with barely any nutritional value and flavor.

kbjesq

kbjesq

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, heidih said:

Not to rub it in - but almost daily $1 for a huge head at the dollar store......  The local South Asian population piles them up in their baskets.

Where, pray tell, is this?  I'm in Florida and it's about $5+/head for conventional (i.e, not organic).  And it is tied with Brussels sprouts and eggplant as my favorite vegetable. Both of these have become very expensive as well  

MelissaH

MelissaH

Posted
Posted

@Anna N, we aren't doing much better on this side of the border! Last week, the local orchard store wanted $7 for a small head of cauliflower. Wegmans wasn't much better: $5 for a medium-size head. We've gone without.

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted

When I've had a head of cauliflower that is starting to blacken (just yesterday as a matter of fact), I use a potato peeler to skim off the dark spots.

  • Like 3
gfweb

gfweb

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
12 hours ago, FeChef said:

 a vegetablwe with barely any  flavor.

FeChef- your assignment is to roast some cauliflower pieces...halved ...with cut side down... in an oiled tray at 375

  • Like 3
Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
53 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

@Anna N, we aren't doing much better on this side of the border! Last week, the local orchard store wanted $7 for a small head of cauliflower. Wegmans wasn't much better: $5 for a medium-size head. We've gone without.

Yes, it may be $8 a head but I'm not paying it.   Much as I love the vegetable that is just too much.  So I am left wondering how many $8 a head cauliflowers are rotting away. 

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

MelissaH

MelissaH

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Yes, it may be $8 a head but I'm not paying it.   Much as I love the vegetable that is just too much.  So I am left wondering how many $8 a head cauliflowers are rotting away. 

There were a few in the sale bin at the orchard store on Friday for only $2.50 a head. But we still passed, as we've planned our meals sans choufleur.

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

I know I've been rudely surprised at the grocery checkout when I belatedly realize the $2.99 price marked at the cauliflower bin is "per pound" instead of "per head," shooting that affordable pasta dinner into the luxury realm - of course, I had chosen a hefty 3 or 4 pounder!    

 

  • Like 1
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, kbjesq said:

Where, pray tell, is this?  I'm in Florida and it's about $5+/head for conventional (i.e, not organic).  And it is tied with Brussels sprouts and eggplant as my favorite vegetable. Both of these have become very expensive as well  

 

Los Angeles - sure they are from Mexico. Farmers Market and grocery store are more like $3/lb......  I wonder how much the current fad of  cauliflower as a low carb substitute factors in.

JohnT

JohnT

Posted
Posted

Wow, cauliflower in South Africa at the moment is R12.50 per head, which equates to US 83c!!! Per head. To the OP, the black mark is usually where the head has been damaged and spreads to the lower extremities. Just trim and enjoy!

 

So, this makes me want to get a few heads and curry/pickle them for later - something to do this coming week!

  • Like 1

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gfweb

gfweb

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

At least the entire overpriced head is usable. The giant trunk, after roasting, makes great soup or puree.

  • Like 1
blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, gfweb said:

At least the entire overpriced head is usable. The giant trunk, after roasting, makes great soup or puree.

 

Yes.  I also usually slice and cook any leaves that are attached, unless they are awfully mangled.  

 

excv_

excv_

Posted
Posted
23 hours ago, Anna N said:

 Yep at eight dollars a head which is what we are paying for it at the moment we rescue as much as we can!   I have often wondered if we can mitigate the damage by cutting it into florettes and storing it that way. Not many of us find a need to cook a whole head.  

Eight dollars! And I thought four-five dollars per head here was expensive.

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