Eating Mandelbrot

Well you can't be a hip gardener without growing all the wicked varieties of food available today.

This is a broccoli variety called Romanesco. Ok, so I personally think it's more like a cauliflower but you see it called both. This variety came from Italy and was developed long ago. It is a delicacy and well worth the long season it demands.

We picked and ate this a couple of months ago.

More about it after the link.

This vegetable takes a looooong time to grow and I have only been blessed with two plants that didn't crater in the Texas heat before flowering, one each year. So yeah, you are looking at all of this years crop, well not all, I had a nibble while setting up for the photo.

We grow it for it's looks and flavor, both of which are astounding. It is a very spicy brassica and I had trouble eating it raw alone, but enjoy it in a salad or steamed. If you are eating it raw, use some ranch dressing (well, there you have it, now you know for sure I'm a Texan).

Ah, the beauty. Now all plants will give you some phi ratios if you look hard enough, but this girl gives it up easy. Just like sunflowers (among other plants too), the two sets of sprials around each florette will give you two sequential Fibonacci numbers as will the two sprials of florettes that make up the head of the vegetable. It's also a very showy fractal, hence the post title. All cauliflowers will show fractal qualities but never this clearly, so it appeals to the hippie in all of us. I swear, I can spend more time gazing at this veggie than a Dr. Bronner's bottle, and that is saying a lot. It's worth the long season just to see these girls come up.

I have yet to find this variety for sale in supermarkets, including the upscale markets. I'm guessing this is due to its long and relatively demanding season as well as its size; doesn't matter how pretty it is, if it aint bigger than the big ol' honkin' five pounders they sell, it aint gonna make it. C'est la.... At least I get to eat it.

To better my turnout I will be starting seeds indoors in September this year and then putting them out once the temperature comes down, hopefully in late October. That should ensure large plants with heads before March when the Harlequin bugs come out looking for brassicas.

Ciao!