The wind was up, so we popped out there to take down the protective curtains. Before we left the lottie, I just peeked into the the closest cauliflower plant to me. Can you see that some plants have their leaves bent inwards, covering the centre? As I bent the leaves open, there was this gigantic white head looking up at me from the green depths. I don’t mind telling you that I was rapt. To think that these plants were almost lifted and chopped up because I thought they had a fly infestation. Well, that cauli was a beast ! It’s “trunk” was so thick that I broke my knife trying to cut it away. Next I tried loppers— no joy. Finally I pulled out the industrial strength ratchet lopper. Ir cuts through anything I have on the lottie. It did the job. the head was covered with massive leaves coming out of the trunk right up close to the head. It was a bit of graft getting all of them carefully removed. So, whilst I was busy working that cauliflower over I heard the Bride cry out, “There’s another one”! I did not want to harvest it, but she wanted to take it before a wood pigeon or rat would discover it and begin to pick and gnaw. Off it came, but not without flowery language. My Bride also went through a couple of sharp tools before liberating that second head. First all the nonessential stems and leaves were removed, then she sprayed it clean. We chucked them into a bag and we were off…the wind and foreboding were approaching. Once home, she got me to pose with our bouquets. I am as proud as an ape, as we say. The one on the left weighed 2 1/2 kilos, the one on the right weighed 1 1/2 kilos. Four kilos together! No faffing about, we began processing them immediately, with tea and bikkies as the carrot. We got ten bags weighing 275 grams each…with a larger amount for din-din this evening. My Bride and I keep telling each other how chuffed we are with this windfall.
