Snow Crown

Last week we started a series on the blog called "Variety Show" that I hope to feature on most Saturdays that will feature a single variety we have grown at the Genuine Faux Farm over the years.  There is no particular plan as to what I will write about and when and, like so much else I share here, it will go as long as I feel like writing them and for as long as it seems to interest a few people.

We've mentioned before that we prefer open pollinated varieties when we can manage to find one that works for us.  As a quick reminder, an open-pollinated variety is one where, if you let it go to seed and planted that seed, you would get the same variety (unless, of course, you grow lots of varieties of the same vegetable, then they could cross and could get something completely different).

Snow Crown is an F1-Hybrid variety cauliflower, which means seed is created when the seed producer uses two parent varieties and intentionally crosses them to produce a consistent variety.  If you let these go to seed and then planted them, you would not get the same variety.  So, you can only get Snow Crown if you know the parentage, grow them out and then work to make sure they are crossed correctly.

We tried for several years to identify an open-pollinated cauliflower that would give us consistent production and failed on that front until more recently - but that's a post for another blog!

Snow Crown was actually the first hybrid cauliflower that we felt we received consistent production on our farm.  This cultivar is probably one of the most forgiving for heat and numerous other stressors that we have found.  On the other hand, it has a tendency to set loose curds with a purplish hue (see the photo) when the plant is stressed.  The good news is that they maintained their taste and texture despite the visual 'flaws.'  

Early on at the farm, we did not run drip irrigation and tended to let Mother Nature do most of the watering.  We have found that cauliflower is much more consistent in production with a watering program - especially if you might be running them into warmer weather.  

You can harvest Snow Crown at various sizes, but like most cauliflower, you need to watch for separation in the curd, which is an indication that it may be starting to bolt (go to seed).  It is normal to harvest heads that average just a little over 1 pound and in a perfect situation they have gotten as big as two pounds for us.  We even pulled them in when they weighed 1/3 pound in a year where we tried a very late planting and wanted to avoid having them freeze.  Yes - they still tasted good.

Many people hesitate to grow cauliflower because traditional varieties required that you had to "blanch" the heads to avoid having them change colors form the prized white or light cream color we expect.  The idea of blanching is that you tie the surrounding leaves up around the head to prevent exposure to the sun. When you grow as many things as we have, you can't always dedicate that amount of time for a crop - so we favor varieties like Snow Crown that advertise as "self-blanching."  That either means they grow their own leaf cover OR they are not affected as much if the head is exposed (Snow Crown falls into the latter class for us).

Snow Crown has a mild taste, which makes it one of the most accessible varieties for people who aren't ready for some of the stronger varieties.  The heads is usually on the flatter side and the main stem is typically quite short.  And, these heads are not often perfectly uniform.  But, what are you worried about uniform for?  It tastes good, right?  You were going to cut it up to eat, right?  Ok, then!

Despite our tendency to prefer open-pollinated varieties, Snow Crown landed at #11 for our 2015 Veggie Variety winners.  So, I expect it will sound odd if I tell you we won't be growing Snow Crown in 2021!  If you'll recall, we have been seeking our open-pollinated options and believe we have found them in Amazing and Goodman.  It's not a knock on Snow Crown, it's still a good variety to start with if you still aren't sure if you can grow cauliflower.