The firebrand New York Democrat took to Instagram to discuss how such gardens were a 'core component' of her proposed Green New Deal on Tuesday.
She discussed in the live broadcast how it was important that people of color felt they were able to grow foods familiar to them in these green spaces.
The 29-year-old said: 'What I love too is growing plants that are culturally familiar to the community. It's so important.'
She added: 'A core component of the Green New Deal is having all of these projects make sense in a cultural context, and it's an area that we get the most pushback on because people say, "Why do you need to do that? That's too hard."
'But when you really think about it, when someone says that it's "too hard" to do a green space that grows Yucca instead of, I don't know, cauliflower or something - what you're doing is you're taking a colonial approach to environmentalism.
'And that is why a lot of communities of color get resistant to certain environmentalist movements because they come with the colonial lens on them.'
Her comments have since stoked confusion and ridicule. Critics blasted her as a 'loony' and some expressed confusion, citing the fact that cauliflowers are popular in south America.
'But we eat potatoes in Latin America.. and cauliflower?' one Twitter user said.
It's unclear who the politician thinks the vegetable offends. Flats Fix, the Mexican restaurant where she worked until launching her political career, serves cauliflower tacos for $4.75.
She orders the pastrami taco on their menu when she goes.
The Bronx native has become a central and bold voice in the climate change cause, unafraid of suggesting Presidential favorite Joe Biden took a 'middle of the road' approach to the issue.
While she never mentioned him by name, Ocasio-Cortez retweeted a linked to a Reuters article reporting Biden 'is crafting a climate change policy he hopes will appeal to both environmentalists and the blue-collar voters who elected [Trump].'
She slammed the idea with her own added commentary: 'This is a dealbreaker. There is no 'middle ground' w/ climate denial & delay.
'Blaming "blue collar" Americans as the main opponents to bold climate policy is gas lobbyist 101. We're not going to solve the climate crisis w/ this lack of leadership. Our kids' lives are at stake.'
In March Democratic Senators failed to vote through her Green New Deal to the voting stage, claiming it had been brought forward by the Republican Senate Majority Leader for political ends.
Last week Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that the 'GOP doesn't care about babies at all - especially brown, black, or poor ones,' claiming that if they did they would back her Green New Deal, 'or at LEAST have a real climate plan.'
Reader Comments
Its unimaginable that some person like Ms Cortez would be in office and the public eye!..