
Add A Splash of Colour
Tue Sep 09 2014

Tesco’s rainbow cauliflowers will add splash of colour to back to school dinners
Tesco will be stocking a delicious seasonal range of Romanesque and colourful cauliflowers in stores for 10 weeks from September to November. The coloured cauliflower, available in purple, orange and emerald green, are all naturally produced and exclusive to Tesco. Grown in Rush, Co. Dublin and distributed by Gilfresh Produce, the colourful cauliflowers are a good source of vitamins and minerals and will be available in stores from this week until November.
Cauliflower is low in calories, containing just 25 calories per 100g, and is a rich source of vitamins A, B and C and minerals including potassium, calcium and iron. Orange cauliflower contains 25 times more vitamin A than white cauliflower with 320 micrograms of betacarotene per 100 grams. Purple cauliflower gets its eyecatching colour straight from the seed, from natural purple pigments called anthocyanins which are antioxidant flavonoids. Anthocyanins belong to the group of phenolic antioxidants also found in red cabbage, red wine and blueberries which have been reported to promote good brain function and to help increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood.
Tesco Ireland’s Fresh Buyer, Sinead McDonogh, said, “It can be tricky sometimes to encourage kids to eat vegetables so we’re hoping that this range tempts people to eat their greens and purples. Coloured cauliflower is rich in vitamins and minerals and is a versatile ingredient that can be steamed, juiced or eaten raw as part of a crudité selection served with dips. A tip for retaining the orange and green colour during cooking is to add some lemon juice to the water when cooking the coloured cauliflower.”
Grower Liam Fynes added “We are delighted that we can offer Tesco customers this delicious local product. We supply Tesco Ireland with a range of fresh locally grown vegetables which are harvested and delivered to Tesco stores across Ireland as quickly and as freshly as possible. We’re currently harvesting the crop of rainbow cauliflowers with orange and emerald green cauliflowers going into stores this week followed by purple cauliflowers later this month.”
Cauliflower, meaning ‘cabbage flower’ in Latin, is among the cruciferous vegetables, together with broccoli, kale, cabbage and collards. Perfect for juicing to acquire all of its vitamins and minerals, cauliflower is a popular combination with carrots and green apples for a tasty healthy juice.
Raw cauliflower should be stored in a paper or plastic bag and refrigerated for it to stay fresh for up to a week. It is best stored positioned with the stem side down to prevent moisture from forming in the floret clusters. The coloured and Romnesque cauliflowers will be available for 10 weeks from September 9th to November 8th in 79 of the 146 Tesco stores across Ireland.