The white heads of the cauliflower are prone to sunburn when exposed to too much sun. Here's what you need to do to avoid the damage.

Cauliflower leaves can be folded over to protect against sunburn

The bright white florets of the cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) are real eye-catchers, but also very sensitive to strong sunlight . The discoloration caused by sunburn is not pretty, but it does not make the cauliflower inedible. With a few little tricks, you can effectively protect your cauliflower heads from discoloration. We will tell you below what is important.

Cauliflower and sunburn: bending the leaves

The so-called "cauliflower florets" grow in the middle of the leaves of the cauliflower. The florets are the inflorescences of the cauliflower and the part of the plant that is eaten. A few weeks before the cauliflower harvest, when the sun is at its highest, you should bend the surrounding leaves inward to protect the delicate florets. The so-called "covering" does not damage the plant and preserves the aromatic taste and the bright white of the cauliflower head.

Cauliflower and sunburn: Choosing the right variety

You can already prevent sunburn when choosing the type of cauliflower. We explain to you which varieties are less susceptible and which can even protect themselves from sunburn.

Colored cauliflowers

Cauliflower comes in many different varieties. In addition to the standard white varieties, there are also violet and yellow varieties. The color pigmentation of these varieties makes the florets less prone to sunburn. However, the discoloration that occurs with white heads does not affect taste or palatability in any way, this is just a matter of appearance.

Colored cauliflower varieties are better protected against sunburn

Note: The colored varieties are even better nutritionally than the white ones. Try your luck.

Self-covering white varieties

If you don't want to do without white cauliflower, but want to take the trouble to cover itIf you want to save, you can fall back on self-covering white varieties. The self-covering varieties do not unfold their leaves completely like conventional varieties, but still enclose the white florets for the most part and thus protect them from the sun. A typical self-covering variety is 'Tabiro' with a mild aromatic taste. The medium-tall autumn variety 'Nuage' is considered a more frost hardy variety. She is well covered and produces a heavy yield with large, white, heavily cupped flowers.

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Vegetables