The snow has finally melted, at least over part of the garden, and I went out to investigate. To my complete amazement, some of my broccoli plants are still alive, and have little florets on them (I suspect these florets formed last Fall, not recently). It was bitterly cold this Winter, but we also had extremely heavy snowfall, so that might have protected the plants.

So, my question is...now what? If I pick those likely-overwintered florets, will they taste OK, or will they be bitter? What will happen if I leave the plants in the ground, and let them keep growing? Will they keep producing side shoots? Is there any hope of them sending up a new stalk and forming a new head? Can I somehow leverage this into a jump-start on the season? Their stems are huge and thick, and the plants have leaned over and sprawled...they're not by any means neat, tidy, or upright any more.

Please advise me, O wise gardeners!