A “cheesy” product
is now available in more abundance this year. But to consumers, its’
anything but cheesy.
It’s a vegetable that goes by the name cheddar cauliflower,
an orange-yellow-colored cauliflower, which is now in larger supply
this year after a shortage last year.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Winslow, Maine, plans to meet consumer
demand this year because cheddar cauliflower will be more abundant,
said Bruce Harrington, director of marketing and sales.
Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Oxnard, Calif., supplies Johnny’s Selected
Seeds with the cheddar seeds
“At this time we don’t know how much the consumption of
white cauliflower will trend to this new color, because until now
there were seed supply limitations,” said Dan Croker, distric
sales manager at Seminis, which announced Jan. 24 that it is being
bought by Monsanto Co., St. Louis.
Although Harrington said he doesn’t know what amount the company
receives from Seminis this year’s supply is more readily available
than last year’s because the cheddar seed shortage last year
resulted from not having enough of the product to begin with.
Still, the interest in this orange cauliflower was there, he said.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds, a mail order seed producer and merchant,
has sold cheddar cauliflower throughout the U.S.
The cauliflower is available at farmers markets, but Flannery Higgins,
media manager, said she expected cheddar cauliflower to make its way
to grocery stores soon.
The flavor, Higgins said, is similar to that of white cauliflower,
but the cheddar cauliflower is creamier.
“Cheddar is also a really beautiful variety - a bright orange-yellow
that is more intense when steamed,” Higgins said.
Cheddar also has more nutrition than other varieties of cauliflower,
providing about 25% more vitamin A than other varieties, Higgins said.
Cheddar can grow with other kinds of cauliflower, Harrington said,
including white, lavender, deep purple and lime green.
