Purple

Here we go again. It's Sunday morning, so I thought I'd do a nice "easy" posting with a compelling photo. In fact I was worried - how much can you say (or should you say) about purple cauliflower? And not be boring. But this blog has a history of being didactic, so leaving this photo to speak for itself was out of the question. Hence, I thought a little bit of research would be appropriate. However, as frequently is the case, I found a world - the world of purple foods and cauliflower in particular with lots of articles and sites (purplecauliflower.com is registered). I learned that cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, broccoli and collard greens are actually all the same species, Brassica Oleracea, but are of different cultivar groups. The whole concept of cultivars is fascinating and relatively new to me - if you want to delve into this, click here. I am astounded to have found a site which lists 100 varieties of cauliflower! The purple color, btw, is not dye but due to anthocyanins - the largest group of water-soluble pigments in the plant kingdom and are responsible for the blue, red, and purple color of many fruits, vegetables, grains, flowers, and leaves. In recent years, studies have suggested that anthocyanins serve as valuable diet antioxidants. However, because they are water soluble, I have read of problems cooking and losing the color.
About the photo: I discovered this table of purple cauliflower while strolling through the Union Square Greenmarket with a friend. I had no intention of doing any photography, since I have posted numerous times regarding Union Square: the park itself, the Greenmarket, the Gandhi sculpture, restaurants and the architecture/buildings in the immediate area (see the 14 links of previous postings below). But when we happened upon this display, we were so awed by the color, I felt compelled to shoot and share ...
Postings related to Union Square: Heirloom Tomatoes, Union Square Greenmarket, Republic, Vintage Mural, One-Man Band, Luna Park Cafe, Gentleman Peeler, Flora, Zeckendorf, Reverend Billy, W Hotel, Towers, Metronome, Union Square.