In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

There is a special joy and sense of accomplishment when I harvest the first head of cauliflower. This year it was a precocious ‘Graffiti’ cauliflower, grown from seed planted in late August.

I most often include the flowerets in salads. When steamed they turn an unslightly blue,. Since I grow ‘Graffiti’ for its flamboyant magenta color the presentation needs to maintain that color, as much as possible. I’ve found that a light saute in olive oil softens the vegetable while retaining the color. Roasting ever so briefly also works. The batch above was briefly sauted then topped a prepared pizza crust layered with Gruyere. It was fabulous.

Most days I wander through the garden, selecting the ingredients for the lunch salad. Magenta radishes, scallions, apples and cauliflower are from the garden. Goat cheese, slivered almonds add substance and the salad is dressed with lime juice and olive oil.

See my recent post Winter Garden Salads for inspiration.

I’m currently choosing from ‘Monet’s Garden’ mesclun, ‘Sea of Red’ and ‘Pomegranate Crunch’ lettuces. All held up well during our recent rains and thrived.

Likewise, the ‘Violetta’ pac choi revels in the sunny days and cool nights. A lightweight row cover keeps the birds from nibbling at the edges.

A new tablescape of garden flowers replaces the Christmas colors and sparkle. It’s a January refresh. Check Something New to see what’s coming in the garden and some additions to Resources and Cuttings: Selected Quotes.

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