Hi Michael

I too had the same dilemma today, I have a lot of broccoli! and because of the amount I decided to harvest the whole head at once. After I finish all the heads on the bed I can plant something different, broccoli takes a long time to grow and the heat is almost around the corner,:o)

If I was you, and did not need the space I would let them get smaller heads on the ones that you already harvested and put the seedlings in another spot.

We had a salad with broccoli,celery, chick peas, red onion in a mustard yogurt dressing with parsley, basil and parmigiano. It was good.

Silvia

What about the leaves? I've read that once you start harvesting the tops you can start picking some leaves to cook like collards as long as you leave some leaves for the side shoots. This would be a good reason to not pull your older plants....

Tom

I've had better luck with broccoli than any other vegetable in the last three years. Right now I have a number of plants that have been giving since first week of November, but the heads are progressively smaller. As they get smaller, the heads are more time consuming to pick for less gain. However, they have given lots and lots and lots of broccoli heads at this point. We eat broccoli several times a week in some form or other. What we do, is dig up and completely consume the plants that are giving the smallest heads. I've been digging up one plant at a time and making things like cream of broccoli soup, broccoli slaw, and using the stems and leaves chopped up finely for serving sauteed with onions over chicken or meat or in stir fries or stews. Although people say you don't get a lot out of broccoli plants, they are the most productive and most completely used plants in my garden. I try to replace the ones dug up with new seedlings. If I don't have any of my own at the time, I buy them. It just is simply soo good, and soo good for you!

Anna

Anna, I'm glad to hear you're using the whole plant. This is my first year for growing broccoli and I got started late so we don't even have heads yet, but I would like to use the whole plant so I need recipes :-)

Tom

I've substituted broccoli leaves for spinach in quiche with very good results. I also made a batch of vegetable broth a couple of years ago with broccoli leaves when it was time to pull the plants. I used my own special recipe: all the veggies in the fridge that will spoil if we don't use them soon (except the carrots, which are too sweet for broth,) plus half an onion and a dash of salt. Cook down until the water looks about the right color. (this is generally how, and why, I make soup too, though I usually add beans and all the leftover meat/chicken or fish too.)

Anna

Very nice broccoli! You are eating healthy that is for sure.
I had broccoli for lunch. This is what I did, separate the good leaves, wash them and save them for another dish. The florets and stems are used for this dish. Cut small florets and peel the stems with a vegetable peeler, discard the tough ends. Use the mandoline to slice thin. And some garlic whole.

Heat in high heat and use a little bit of butter and olive oil, stir fry till desired tenderness, I like mine crisp, put salt and pepper. Here you can add any seasonings that you like. Make it Italian and add pepper flakes, parmigiano
Make it Asian and add soy sauce. I ate mine plain on top of Japanese sushi rice.

The leaves will be prepared some other time, coarsely chop or sliced. And if it is for Willy I will use some bacon and if it is for Cheryl I will make it French style with raisins and pine nuts, olive oil and butter, a little bit of sugar, salt and pepper. If it is for me, olive oil and citrus at the end with some marinated red onion in lime juice on top. :o)

Enjoy your broccoli!

Silvia

WOW! You two have given us some great ideas. I thought I loved broccoli, now I'm going to love it even more :-)

Tom

my go-to recipe for broc is so good and simple that it's really the only way i'll cook it: steam the broc in a skillet with a top, using a bit of very salty water. don't worry about baskets or anything, just throw some broc spears in a skillet, add a bit of water, and cook until it's bright green. remove top, cook off the liquid, remove the broc. let it cool a couple minutes, then chop the broc coarsely. in the skillet, saute the broc with some olive oil, some garlic, and some hot chili. cook as long as you like, then serve it. this whole prep takes just minutes and is perfect. with good fresh veg, the simplest way is the best way to cook it...

Thanks for the broccoli recipe ideas. My broccoli plants look like Anna's second picture with all of those tiny side shoots. They do take a long time to pick but they do add up and before too long there is plenty to cook up.

I'm going to leave my plants in place as long as they keep producing.

Silvia--Your recipe for broccoli leaves sound like it would be great for kale leaves too. (I have an over abundance of kale.)

Anna---I never made broccoli soup using the whole plant but since I also have a Vita Mix, I should give your recipe a try! Soon.

Christine

Christine, I save all the brassica leaves washed and put them in a paper towel inside a bag. Cauliflower, broccoli, kolhrabi, kale, swiss chard, beet leaves can be used too. They are also good for stuffed cabbage (more work).:o) Sometimes I use them for displaying food when having a party. If they are lightly steamed can be used for wraps with any filling of your choice.

Silvia

I forgot to include a link for caldo verde soup with kale, one of my favorites!

Here is a link that might be useful: caldo verde

My broccoli looks like Anna's second picture too. After I cut the large heads off, I am now picking the smaller ones for salads and soups. My second crop is not heading yet, but they will soon. All of these recipes sound so good, I will have to try them all!

i planted 'premium crop' broc, and my secondary heads are significantly larger than anna's pictures... that's one of the selling points of this hybrid--larger shoots. anyway, i guess i'll leave these in place and continue to harvest. on another note i noticed that my cauliflower is finally putting out a head... i think this is the first time i've grown cauliflower... does it continue to produce after the main head is cut? our household LOVES cauliflower... maybe more so than broc...

Michael

We also prefer cauliflower over broccoli. I have not tried to grow smaller heads and have been harvesting an early variety since last month, also I have a purple variety that is very good.

Early variety cauliflower

Purple variety

Silvia

Very nice Silvia, are you spraying them with anything? Do I need to maintenance spray with BT?

Tom

Hi Tom

Since we just went through a freeze I have not sprayed anything on the brassicas and they have been free of bugs, but now that we are getting warmer days and there is a lot of decay from the brown leaves in the garden, I am seeing a lot of bugs again. I am going back to spraying once a week before a problem arise. Is better to spray as a prevention than as a cure. Also my population of geckos is down, they said that they froze and come back alive? Well, a lot of them did not survive, my dogs are finding them everywhere. Bees are finding the flowers, that is good!

Silvia

Silvia, that caldo verde sound delicious, and those cauliflower are picture perfect!

Michael, I bought the premium crop seeds, but did not plant them. Late September I planted Green Goliath seeds and the plants are just getting to be a good size now. Still no heads from them. I decided to purchase pak man seedlings when I saw how slowly the Green Goliath were going because I wanted to get a jump on broccoli season. Then I ran out of space and decided to wait till next year for the premium crop. I am glad to hear you are liking it and that even the smaller heads are big. Next year I will get an earlier start with the seeds.

Anna

Dang! I wish I read this thread before I gave up on my broccoli and let chickens have their field day in the garden. All leaves are eaten now, but a couple of the plants are starting forming heads. I seeded my broccoli last October. That's a long time to form heads! Four months, wow.

What's the best time to start broccoli seeds for the next season?

This is the first time I’ve planted broccoli and we have been enjoying it so much for the past 2 months! I live in NC on the coast and am wondering how long i should leave the plant in the ground. I am still getting tiny side shoots, however the large, delicious leaves are starting to brown.
Thank you, in advance for any suggestions!🥦🥦