romanesco cauliflower?

[4390evans]

i found some romanesco cauliflower in my seed stash, has anyone grown it before?

Im wanting cauliflower but the white one that goes on my sundays dinner, whats this one like does it taste the same??

Thanks guys
Jen

[catgirl]

I've never grown romanesco cauliflower (this year is going to be my first try!) but it has ended up on my plate a few times! It looks really strange, light green and masses of little turrets, and in my opinion it does taste like cauliflower, but a little bit sweeter than you would expect.

[scarey55]

I have grown it before, admittedly from plants that I bought in the garden centre but it was as easy to grow as cauliflower (although not as big) and, as Catgirl said, lots of pointy green florets and very similar to cauli. I love it and it's good as a conversation piece

[WPG]

I've grown it the past couple of years - it has a reputation for being difficult to grow but personally I've found it much easier to grow than cauliflower and also less prone to bolting. The only downside is the plants get big and do need a lot of space (about 2 foot spacing).

Like scarey55 says, the vivid colour and shape are a conversation piece. Taste-wise, I prefer romanesco steamed rather than boiled, and I think it's got a slightly nutty flavour - sort of a cross between cauliflower and calabrese taste.

[arpoet]

I have grown it but with mixed success. One year when I had the lottie with bags of space it was just coming into its own when we had a severe cold snap then snow and I lost the lot. It does take a long time in the ground and grows into a big plant. I suppose it would be well suited to a poly tunnel.