I have consumed an abundance of cauliflower over the past couple of decades (long before it became so ubiquitous) and usually purchase a “head” every two weeks. It seems to me that more often than not over the past couple of years there is some degree of a black mold (I assume it is mold) on it. Once upon a time I never found mold on my cauliflower.
Am I right? Is cauliflower moldier than it used to be? If so, why? (And is it mold or something mold-like?)
Google is your friend! According to this… it’s not mold or anything like it.
" The culprit for this discoloration is oxidation, which happens naturally the longer cauliflower is stored. Oxidation is simply the natural change in the vegetable’s color due to prolonged exposure to light and air."
Perhaps you are not getting as fresh a cauliflower as you used to…
Growing conditions can also cause discoloration in cauliflower. I haven’t seen black; but I’ve seen brownish discoloration, and sometimes purplish. The purplish* tasted just fine; the brownish areas sometimes didn’t hold up well in storage.
*there are also purple varieties of cauliflower; I’m talking about one expected to be white. And it didn’t get anywhere near as purple as the purple kind.
The ones I look for at the supermarket are not white but firm and cream-coloured. They will help in the fridge for a week or more.
Discoloration on my cauliflower is pretty normal for me. I never thought about it being mold.
BTW, I was shopping with my mother last week and we were surprised at the cost of a head of cauliflower; at a local produce market, a head was, I think, seven bucks. Way too much for a boring vegetable.
Our caulies develop blackness too. We just pare it off with a sharp knife.
Bloody Norah! I thought 90p was a lot.
We didn’t buy any, of course. And a head of lettuce (looked like iceberg) was, I think, five bucks. Inflation, or at least inflated prices, is real.
[takes notes for farmers’ market pricing next season]
$1.79/lb here
I have just started my weekly online shop and see cauliflowers are reduced to 69p each
Rewinding to my OP… It appears as though what I am seeing is not mold but instead oxidation (yay!)
It still seems to me that this is a mostly somewhat recent phenomenon. Any long time grocery store produce department workers out there to confirm or refute my impression?
If I am correct what might the explanation be for that?
I wonder whether they’re the same cauliflowers, now rather older.
[ETA: cauliflower held under excellent storage conditions will keep for some time. Cauliflower sitting out in the store’s produce case, exposed to light, varying temperatures, and handling by customers, somewhat less so.]
Can’t speak to your experience; but from the viewpoint of a produce grower, assorted types of discoloration of the heads have been a known possible issue for quite a long time – probably since shortly after people started growing cauliflower.
If you’ve only recently seen it at your particular shopping locations: maybe they’re becoming less fussy about the appearance of what they put out on the shelves, either due to shortages or due to attempts to lessen waste? There’s quite a bit of waste caused by considering only perfect-looking produce to be salable.
About a year ago, i started buying caulifower and broccoli heads and cutting them into the useful peices. Then id put them in a freezer plastic bag and keep them in the freezer. Then when i need some, i just pick what i need and let it thaw, or put them in boling water to cook them when needed. They keep incredibly well, and never goes bad.
Just my 2 cents
I was reminded of this thread when I went shopping today. My grocery has them $1.49/lb, which is about $3-$5 a head, depending on how big it is. I went for one of the smaller ones I could find, and it was still $4. Yours ends up at like 85 cents US per head. Wow.
Today I did my weekly grocery shopping, and picked up premade mashed potatoes with cauliflower. Will be having tonite with dinner.