Yup, it's really purple!

Isn’t it beautiful? Purple cauliflower actually grows in the wild. It contains the same pigments (called anthocyanins, another one of those body guards I’m always talking about) that give blueberries and purple grapes their gorgeous color. That’s fantastic because anthocyanins are linked to a reduced risk of cancer, diabetes, heart, and neurological diseases. But other than that, this vibrant variety has the same nutritional value as the plain old white stuff (which is pretty darn great already).

Did you know that cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C? Just 1 cup cooked provides over 90% of the vitamin C we need daily. It’s also a great source of fiber with a whopping 8 grams per cup cooked (that’s over 30% of what’s recommended daily), and it contains potassium as well as B vitamins.

Cauliflower is a proud member of the cabbage family, along with its cousins broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. This mighty group is collectively known as “cruciferous vegetables” and scientists believe they contain compounds that kind of disable and eliminate cancer causing substances. One study done in the Netherlands found that in over 100,000 people followed for more than 6 years, those who ate the most vegetables had a 25% lower incidence of colorectal cancer, but the people who ate the most cruciferous vegetables experienced a 49% lower risk – isn’t that amazing?!

Ok, I’m off to mist these flamboyant florets with an herb infused oil and steam them. Yum - I can’t wait!

But before I say buon giorno (purple cauliflower is big in Southern Italy), here are a few fun facts:
-Purple has often signified royalty and been the favored color of many kings and queens, and the term “born in the purple” has been used to denote a noble birth
-Prince’s Purple Rain album was released in 1984
-The song Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley was #1 for 6 weeks in 1958
-Alice Walker wrote the book The Color Purple which received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983
-Ben Affleck and his wife Jennifer Garner named their baby Violet - awwww

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