Cauliflower by any other name, but a rose is a rose is a...

“Green Eggs and Ham was the story of my life. I wouldn't eat a thing when I was a kid, but Dr. Seuss inspired me to try cauliflower.” Jim Carrey
Cauliflower by any other name, but a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose… or is it? The cauliflower is one of the many varieties of the cabbage, Brassica oleracea, which include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, and kohlrabi among the kinfolk. It is believed to have evolved in Asia Minor more than 2000 years ago, possibly as a primitive form of broccoli; China is the world’s largest producer, followed by India and southern Europe. In order for the heads to remain white, the leaves must cover the heads and keep out sunlight, which can cause the curd-like inflorescences to become bitter. From the latin caulis, which means to have grown from a woody stem, there are some wonderful cultivars that may have originated in Italy, though claimed by others. Purple cauliflower appeared in the early 19th century, a hybridized broccoli developed in Italy and South Africa; broccoflower has many camps: many Dutch and German horticulturist claim it is really Romanesco, in France, Chou Romanesco, more a broccoli masquerading as a cauliflower; in Italy, there is Broccoli Romanesco, which is more likely from northern Italy than Rome, but popular in Rome, nonetheless; orange cauliflower appeared, growing wild in Canadian marshes, in the 1970s and is very high in beta carotene.

“Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” Mark Twain

Cabbage is cool!

"Cabbage: A vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head."
Ambrose Bierce
Cabbage is cool! Isn’t it amazing how many great foods come from the cabbage? There are many wonderful varieties of cabbage: green, red, Savoy, nappa, bok choy, kales and collards.
Cabbage has been known for 4 millennia in the Orient, some of the earliest pickling recipes come from the nomadic horsemen of the Asian steppes: it was used to feed the throngs needed to build the Great Wall, because it retained freshness long enough to transport it across the barren expanse and feed the construction workers. Later, the invading Mongols and Huns spread it throughout Europe inspiring talk of cabbages and kings; Louis XIV asked his master gardener what he would like on his coat of arms, to which he replied “Sire, three snails topped by a cabbage stalk would be enough for me."
There are also many interesting vegetables that have come from developing characteristics of the stages of cabbage growth: early cabbages were leafy, possibly from the mustard and kales; bulbous roots were developed into kohlrabies; as a shaft grew up from the base, the small heads of Brussels sprouts were coaxed into being; as the plant went to seed we got the cauliflower and broccoli school kids love to hate; and as if this weren’t enough breeders came up with broccoflower, broccolini, and rapini. If this seems a bit windy, when preparing these veggies, some say: boil, toss the water, proceed with cooking as usual, and your company will be more pleasant.
"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things: Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings” Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll

Love dem Alligator Pears!

We don't care if these girls want to eat their men. That's the Piranha Man's problem. We just want the avocados. Ford Maddox in “Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death”
Avocados are among the most nutritious fruits in the world, rich in potassium, B and E vitamins, monounsaturated fats, as well as compounds with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. A native to Mexico that traveled throughout the tropics of the New World, Martín Fernández de Enciso first introduced the avocado to the Old World in his 1519 book Suma de Geografía, in which he modestly described the geography of the world. The name is derived from the Aztec ahuacatl, the “testicle fruit“, which describes the masculine characteristics of the fruit; ahuacamolli, a sauce of the avocado gave rise to the Spanish word guacamole. The trees need warmth and sunshine to bear fruit; even slight frosts can cause the stems to be too weak to support the fruit, which grow in pairs from a single stem. The avocado is a climacteric fruit, which means that it matures on the tree but ripens off the tree. The fruit must be kept at 28-32 degrees to inhibit ripening; above 32 degrees ethylene gas is produced and ripening proceeds.

“There are not many references to the avocado in Icelandic literature…" Matthew James Driscoll.