Adona is a cauliflower bred for reliable spring and fall harvests, maturing in just 68 days to produce dense, 6-8 inch heads packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. This Botrytis Group cultivar thrives in cool weather and demands minimal water once established, making it a sensible choice for gardeners seeking a dependable brassica without fussy watering schedules. The tight, compact heads store well for up to a week in cool conditions, and the florets work beautifully steamed, mashed as a low-carb side dish, or preserved through freezing and pickling.
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Adona matures in 68 days with heads that stay tight and dense at 6-8 inches across, delivering a nutritious harvest with minimal water input. The variety performs reliably across spring and fall growing seasons, and its compact size means efficient spacing in the garden. Its dense curds resist the ricey, coarse texture that marks overmaturity in less stable varieties, making it forgiving for home gardeners timing their first harvest.
Adona's dense heads excel when steamed whole or broken into florets for roasting, and the firm texture holds up beautifully in both hot and cold preparations. Home gardeners often mash steamed florets as a low-calorie, low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes, a nutritional swap that has gained traction among those watching their carbohydrate intake. The variety also preserves well through both freezing (with a light blanch in salted water) and pickling, stretching the harvest season beyond fresh eating.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Harvest Adona heads when they reach approximately 6-8 inches in diameter and feel tight and dense under gentle pressure. Use a clean, sharp knife to cut the head from the stem, leaving some protective leaves around the head intact to guard the curds during handling. Remove any heads that have begun to open or separate, even if undersized, as overmature florets develop a ricey, coarse appearance that signals declining quality. Discard heads with a visibly coarse or separated texture, as they've passed peak harvest.
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