# Cauliflower leaves and stalk.



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

When buying a head of Cauliflower, it often comes with a 4-inch stalk with lots of leaves on it, I have been severing the stalk and leaves and discarding that as trash.

I am wondering if I could just trim off 3/4 inch of the stalk instead, and dicing up everything Steaming it with Balsamic Vinegar, then mashing with a potato masher, stirring well, serving.

Will add more fiber and the minerals in them to a healthy diet.

Or are the leaves and stalk dangerous to consume.?

ED


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

When I was prepping vegetables in a commercial kitchen I used to eat the broccoli trimmings, cut off the tough end and chow down.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

wooleybooger said:


> When I was prepping vegetables in a commercial kitchen I used to eat the broccoli trimmings, cut off the tough end and chow down.



That is an answer that I hoped to hear, seems a waste to discard so much of it.

ED


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Taste the stem first. It may have a different flavor than the cauliflower head.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Nik333 said:


> Taste the stem first. It may have a different flavor than the cauliflower head.


There already is part of the stem up in the head, so maybe it is the same as that.

ED


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I have seen what they leave in the field when they harvest cauliflower and wondered the same. I sure bet some cultures use everything but no examples.

Bud


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## jimn (Nov 13, 2010)

My trimmings to go into a compost pail, which is picked up by a commercial compost company. They compost the waste which produces methane that is used to generate electricity . i get several bags of compost each year which is great for my gardens. So I don’t need to eat bitter ends of veggies.


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## miteigenenhaenden (Nov 30, 2021)

Of course, one can use the style and leaf axes of cauliflower.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Follow-up:

Got around to trying this idea.

Steamed with Balsamic Vinegar, and the taste is just a bit bitter, not enough to make inedible.

Lots more Fiber than the head florets are but expected.

Standard wire potato masher can't mash the leaves, so you must use a processor, or knife to chop up them.

No gastric distress, so it appears that it can be eaten.

Next, I'll try Pickling the stems and leaves for another experiment.

ED


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Some ideas -









Are all parts of cauliflower edible? - Gardening Channel


QUESTION: Which parts of the cauliflower plant can I eat? Are the leaves edible? -Tim W ANSWER: Indeed, all parts of the cauliflower are edible, including the stems and leaves. The outer layer of skin on the lower half of cauliflower stems are slightly tough, so they should be peeled before...




www.gardeningchannel.com


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Chopped and saved enough stems and leaves to make a pot of steamed veggies.

Added a jar of pickling brine that I had set aside for this experiment.

Made a tasty "mess" of it. 

So, my original question has an answer.

One can eat the "waste", if one wants to.

ED


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Is it good for much more than roughage?


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Nik333 said:


> Is it good for much more than roughage?



The nutritional value is more than my pay grade has time to figure out.

It's not Cordon-bleu by any means.

Maybe a nice Alfredo sauce on it would be nice. 

ED


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

Or perhaps a mild cheese sauce.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Years ago I used to make frequent trips to the county (that's northern Maine's Aroostook county frequently abbreviated to just 'the county'). On one of my return trip through Presque Isle I spotted a flatbed trailer in an empty parking lot alongside the road, loaded with cauliflower and they were huge. And they were $0.50 each. And they were beautiful. It was self service (remember those days) so I loaded up my SUV for myself and anyone I thought might be interested back in Bangor. I ate as much as I could, family wasn't as crazy about it as I was, and froze the rest. But the leaves were over 3' wide, felt bad throwing all of that to waste.

Bud


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

de-nagorg said:


> The nutritional value is more than my pay grade has time to figure out.
> 
> It's not Cordon-bleu by any means.
> 
> ...


I missed the "leaves" part. Dark green leaves would be nutritious.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Nik333 said:


> I missed the "leaves" part. Dark green leaves would be nutritious.


Long ago the high school phys ed coach was talking about the nutrition in lettuce.

They stated that Green lettuce was useless as a nutrition food, all it could do was rehydrate a person, but otherwise all it did was ROT in your intestines and get ejected.

No minerals, or vitamins whatsoever.

ED


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

de-nagorg said:


> Long ago the high school phys ed coach was talking about the nutrition in lettuce.
> 
> They stated that Green lettuce was useless as a nutrition food, all it could do was rehydrate a person, but otherwise all it did was ROT in your intestines and get ejected.
> 
> ...


Maybe iceberg. . . but, not lettuce like Romaine.
I had some really good, sl. sweet cabbage in the street taco kit from the store the other day.


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