Cauliflower harvest surges in hot weather, prices plummet; direct-from-farm white and green cauliflower are a great deal

The sudden warm weather made cauliflower grow too fast, catching farmers off guard! After repeated cold snaps recently, a brief warm-up caused white cauliflower and green cauliflower (broccoli) to grow rapidly. They were supposed to mature and be harvested in batches, but instead flooded the market all at once. Cai Jianwen, manager of the Xihu Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, said that in the past few days the incoming volume of cauliflower has been three times the usual amount. Within just one week, the wholesale prices of both types of cauliflower fell steadily, and the price of white cauliflower was cut in half outright.

Cauliflower and green cauliflower (broccoli) are both staples for fitness and weight loss. Both have less than 30 kcal per 100 grams. Cauliflower is rich in minerals, folic acid and vitamin C, and its potassium content is more than twice that of an apple, while its calories are only half that of an apple. Green cauliflower (broccoli) is likewise rich in minerals and vitamin C, and its calcium content is more than ten times that of an apple. Every 100 grams of green cauliflower (broccoli) also contains 359 ug of beta-carotene, making it extremely nutritious.

Producers are urging people to eat cauliflower now, as it is the perfect time. Besides buying at the market, you can also buy directly from the farm. Each 20 kg box (about 12 heads of white cauliflower) costs only 500 yuan including shipping and can be purchased online, helping you get fit while supporting farmers! (For information on direct-from-farm purchases of cauliflower and dried cauliflower, please see the end of the article.)

Cauliflower and green cauliflower (broccoli) prices have been falling steadily for a week

Cauliflower and green cauliflower (broccoli) look similar. Both belong to the cruciferous Brassica genus, cabbage type, and both evolved from wild cabbage. Cauliflower is mostly white, and the cloud-like part is undifferentiated tissue, while the edible part of green cauliflower (broccoli) is differentiated flower buds. These two related vegetables each have about 1,500 hectares of cultivation area in the country and are quite popular on winter dining tables, but last week their prices suddenly took a sharp downturn.

From the Agricultural Products Wholesale Market Trading Information Station, it can be seen that over the past week the wholesale price of cauliflower fell continuously from 30 yuan per kg on January 19, and on January 27 it was cut in half to only 15 yuan per kg. The wholesale price of green cauliflower (broccoli) fell all the way from 45 yuan per kg to 23 yuan per kg.

Puyan Township in Changhua County is the largest cauliflower production area in Taiwan, China. The supply and marketing department of the Puyan Township Farmers' Association said that winter is the cauliflower season, and there is usually a larger volume of cauliflower before the Lunar New Year. The recent rise in temperature has accelerated the maturity of cauliflower. Last week, the average daily auction volume sent by the farmers' association to the Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation reached 10 metric tons, but the transaction price was at most only 20 yuan per kg. "Cardboard boxes have also gone up in price recently. How are we supposed to cope with this?"

Temperatures suddenly warmed up, and cauliflower that should have been harvested in batches matured at the same time

"Cauliflower production periods can be controlled, so it should be a crop with very stable production and sales." Mr. Zhang of the extension section of the Dacheng Farmers' Association in Changhua County said that unlike cabbage and other leafy vegetables, which are all harvested at once regardless of size, cauliflower is harvested only when mature. Taking local farmers as an example, if they plant two fen of land and plant in batches within the field, the harvest period can be extended to one month. When the weather is cold, cauliflower matures slowly batch by batch, but once it turns hot, all the cauliflower in the field grows rapidly, and the amount that should have been spread over two weeks is harvested all at once, causing a surge.

How serious is the surge? Cai Jianwen, general manager of the Xihu Township Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market in Changhua County, explained that the market can normally absorb 30 to 40 metric tons of cauliflower per day, but starting last week the incoming volume gradually increased and has reached 90 metric tons. "Local fruit and vegetable wholesale markets already have this much, let alone the Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corporation." The sharp increase in incoming volume caused supply and demand to become unbalanced, and prices slid.

The situation for cauliflower is critical, and green cauliflower (broccoli) is equally urgent. Chen Youhua, general secretary of the Liujiao Township Farmers' Association in Chiayi County, the largest green cauliflower (broccoli) production area, said that last week the price was about 40 to 50 yuan per kg, and the current price remains at 30 yuan per kg. Farmers are not losing money, but the price is on the lower-middle side. The reason is that the recent hot weather makes green cauliflower (broccoli) mature quickly. "Especially above 25°C, the harvest period will be noticeably shortened."