# Is anyone else having trouble finding fresh cauliflower? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187 "2017-04-25T04:42:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/21 "2017-04-25T19:17:06Z")
Guess I should have mentioned that I live in Iowa, U.S.A. Cauliflower heads vary in size at different times of the year; at some times, they’re almost as big as basketballs, and at other times, I’m lucky to find them softball-sized, but they’re still the same price. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/22 "2017-04-25T19:27:50Z")
> [@quimper](#): > > Most of the AZ and CA cauliflower, broccoli and iceberg crop was lost to the Jan/Feb storms. A similar weather pattern affected Spain as well, and lettuce is still in short supply. You may be experiencing knock on effects. This. [California Rains Muddy Farm Fields, Higher Vegetable Prices Soak Shoppers](https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/04/21/us/21reuters-california-produce-supply.html?_r=0) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/23 "2017-04-25T19:38:58Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Guess I should have mentioned that I live in Iowa, U.S.A. > > Cauliflower heads vary in size at different times of the year; at some times, they’re almost as big as basketballs, and at other times, I’m lucky to find them softball-sized, but they’re still the same price. That’s why I find it somewhat odd to go for a per unit price, with produce that has such large size variability. On the other hand, it’s an easy way to obfuscate how much you’re really getting for each dollar. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/24 "2017-04-25T21:38:07Z")
What the heck is non-fresh cauliflower? Prepackaged florets? I just bought a head a week ago. Wasn’t too expensive. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/25 "2017-04-25T22:33:46Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > What the heck is non-fresh cauliflower? Prepackaged florets? > > I just bought a head a week ago. Wasn’t too expensive. 😕 Yes. Frozen cauliflower. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/26 "2017-04-25T22:38:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > 😕 Yes. Frozen cauliflower. Oh, guess I never noticed it for sale that way. IIRC they also sell pre-riced cauliflower at Whole Foods type places. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/27 "2017-04-25T22:49:32Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Oh, guess I never noticed it for sale that way. Yep. It’s there with the frozen broccoli florets. Sometimes a medley of the two (or more, often including carrots.) ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/28 "2017-04-26T00:29:03Z")
It’s not that I’m having trouble finding it, it’s that it cost six bucks for a small head at Kroger last week. I can’t afford it! I have to suffer the frozen kind but it never tastes as good. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/29 "2017-04-26T00:31:05Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Oh, guess I never noticed it for sale that way. > > IIRC they also sell pre-riced cauliflower at Whole Foods type places. They sell it at Kroger too, but it’s more expensive than a whole head. They sell frozen riced as well, just a bit cheaper. I use it to make cauliflower cheese sticks. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/30 "2017-04-26T00:59:49Z")
I haven’t looked, but I’m sure I could. The question is, “why”? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/31 "2017-04-26T01:18:14Z")
Thought I’d look in to it and found this one online market site is complaining about scarcity in cauliflower and a few other vegetables. [http://www.pacificproduceonline.com/produce-newsletter.html](http://www.pacificproduceonline.com/produce-newsletter.html) This farmers report says cauliflower is in short supply due to weather. [https://www.usfoods.com/content/dam/usf/pdf/farmers\_report/FarmersReport.pdf](https://www.usfoods.com/content/dam/usf/pdf/farmers_report/FarmersReport.pdf) I eat a lot of cauliflower so I’ve definitely noticed the scarcity. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/32 "2017-04-26T01:22:44Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I guess I don’t pay much attention to prices when I grocery shop. If the recipe calls for cauliflower, I buy a cauliflower. Dude. I wanna party with _you!_ I’ve never knowingly bought cauliflower. I vaguely recall from my Botany 101, that Broccolli, Kohlrabi, Cauliflower, are actually the same goddamn thing. Figures. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/33 "2017-04-26T01:29:26Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Dude. I wanna party with _you!_ > > I’ve never knowingly bought cauliflower. I vaguely recall from my Botany 101, that Broccolli, Kohlrabi, Cauliflower, are actually the same goddamn thing. Figures. [… and cabbage, and brussels sprouts, and kale, and collards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea), and other [weird and amazing broccoli type things](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Fractal_Broccoli.jpg). It’s “[cousin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_rapa)” is also turnip, bok choy, napa cabbage, rapini etc. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/34 "2017-04-26T06:44:28Z")
There were similar problems a couple of months ago in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, because of unexpected climatic problems in Spain. Not cauliflower though, I think: broccoli in some places, and one supermarket was rationing Iceberg lettuce for a time. Time was, of course, it would be quite normal for different vegetables and fruits to disappear as the seasons changed… ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/35 "2017-04-26T06:48:31Z")
In the fall, here in the Northeast, there were enough cauliflowers to feed an Army. Now you’re making me want some! I see a lot of cauliflower ‘rice’ everywhere, is that where the heads disappeared to? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/36 "2017-04-26T15:22:21Z")
There’s lots of fresh local produce grown in the Northeast, but you won’t see any of it until latish spring through late fall, due to our limited growing season. At this moment we’re heavily dependent on California crops, so the heavy rains are having repercussions. By July we’ll be awash in high quality summer squash grown in New England and the Hudson Valley, and in August the tomatoes arrive. Can’t wait. Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall (the apples and root vegetables, the only things available in local farm markets now, have been kept in storage since last year. You only get fresh picked local apples here Sept-Nov, and the breeds mature at different times – Ginger Gold early in Sept, followed by Macoun and Honeycrisp, but you have to wait till Nov for the Stayman Winesaps.) We should be getting produce soon from Florida and Georgia farms. Those count as “local” for NYers, by virtue of not being in California. You know how to have big fun when you shop for fruit? Start buying blueberries when the U.S. ones appear in the market, and trace the source from Georgia to the Carolinas to Jersey to Maine to Canada as summer progresses. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/37 "2017-04-26T15:37:30Z")
Fresh cauliflower is on sale at my local store for 69 cents a pound. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/38 "2017-04-26T16:53:17Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > What the heck is non-fresh cauliflower? Prepackaged florets? > > I just bought a head a week ago. Wasn’t too expensive. > [@pulykamell](#): > > 😕 Yes. Frozen cauliflower. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Oh, guess I never noticed it for sale that way. > > IIRC they also sell pre-riced cauliflower at Whole Foods type places. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Yep. It’s there with the frozen broccoli florets. Sometimes a medley of the two (or more, often including carrots.) They call the medley ‘California Blend’. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/39 "2017-04-26T21:13:06Z")
Just came back from the store. Cauliflower was $2.99, broccoli was $1.99. Neither was a sale price. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187/40 "2017-04-30T20:52:01Z")
I’m just back from shopping. Cauliflower was 98 and 99 cents a pound at two different stores with plenty available. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-having-trouble-finding-fresh-cauliflower/785187.md?page=3)