Cauliflower prices spike to $8 a head

Cauliflower lovers will have to spend extra to get the cruciferous vegetable on the table this Christmas as thedrought in California is causing a spike in the price.

JohnMcLean, the general manager of wholesaleproduce retailerOrleans Fresh Fruit, said he's paying about $70 percase for California cauliflower when a case usually retails forabout $20 percase this time of year.

The weak Canadian dollar is also factoring into the price, he said.

The bottom line at the checkout is that a head of cauliflower is going for about$8 andMcLean said the price could still go up as stores look to make a profit from the sale.

"It's going to land in to me at $70 [per case], say.There's 12 heads in a friggingcase. Do your math," he said.

Leafy greenssuch as spinach, Romaine lettuce and parsley are also in shortage due to smaller crops caused by the drought, McLean said.

Splurge or save?

Cauliflower is part of almost all vegetable dishes at Chinatown'sPhuket Royal dishes like pad thai, curry, and stir-fried noodles but it's now being replaced with other vegetables like broccoli orpeppers,said the restaurant'sKung Lim.

"We have no choice. The cost is toohigh," she said. "It used to [be] $2 something, right, now it's $8 four times more. That's crazy."

Nadine Lacelle said cauliflower has been so hard to find in Ottawa grocery stores that when she finally found the vegetable, she tossedit in her cart without a second thought.

"I don't even care how much it is I'm still buying it," she said. "Splurging. It's the holidays!"