Hi Dave,

Thanks for the quick response. I failed to mention that this is raw broccoli - I haven't cooked it yet. I have several more heads that I plan to harvest in the morning, and plan to steam and freeze those.

Thanks!

Jennie

IME, different varieties may have different flavor and scent. I grew a variety this year that I couldn't eat raw (and broccoli is my favorite veggie), though it was palatable when cooked. I've never grown this variety before, and in more years than I care to mention of growing broccoli, I've never had this issue. I will be keeping track of this variety so that I don't grow it again. Perhaps also in your case it's the plants' genetics.

Cream of broccoli, potato, cheese, ham, and bacon soup should take care of it. :)

Never have had RAW broccoli be offensive smelling... even if left on plant AFTER peak harvest, as Dave mentioned.

Good luck pleasing the masses, Jennie.

Kevin

never bring broccoli to work. learned that lesson!

I assumed you were talking about cooking it as, just like Kevin posted above, I have never, in over 50 years of growing it, had a head of raw broccoli with a strong odor much less smell offensive. Even the grandkids who help me harvest it sometimes don't have any complaints about it until cooking time.

Whole bins of heads are sold in the grocery store without any noticeable odor at all much less anyone filing complaints so how can a couple of heads offend co-workers.

Sure, different varieties can have different smells. And folks have very different definitions of what they consider offensive odors. But if the odor is truly that bad then something else is wrong with it.

Dave

I grew 14 plants of a single variety last season, and found that when cooked, they tasted.... grassy? Definitely not nice, and not the standard broccoli flavor. It did also stink a bit when cooked, but not raw. I ended up composting the whole lot.

Agree with the above posters.. fresh broccoli should not have any harsh smell. The only exception would be if the broccoli has pin rot.... which in my case typically begins to show up with an over abundance of rain.

In the last 2 weeks we've had about 10 inches of rain but I've thus far only noticed the rot starting on 4 of my 220 or so plants. but I'm not sure my luck will last.

Here is a link that might be useful: Broccoli Head Rot

This post was edited by grandad on Wed, Jan 7, 15 at 17:39

Thanks everyone - not sure what was going on with it. Is broccoli head rot dangerous if you eat it unknowingly?

In my opinion it's not dangerous. However it does give the broccoli a stronger taste, proportionate to the degree of contamination. If I notice black/rotten spots on the heads, I immediately pick the heads, cut off any rotten parts, then store them in the refrigerator for use.

I also pick and discard any rotten leaves or stem parts - or whole plants if necessary.

This post was edited by grandad on Thu, Jan 8, 15 at 7:20

This is what pin rot looks like....The tissue becomes soft and gives off a very bad odor.

Here is a link that might be useful: SalinasValleyAgriculture

This post was edited by mrdoitall on Sat, Jan 10, 15 at 5:39

Thank you - I didn't see anything like this, so don't think that's my issue. Not sure what in the world, but hopefully won't have it again.

I recently bought tenderstem broccoli from Costco and when I opened the packet the same day, the broccoli stank! It was beautifully green and fresh but the smell was a combination of really strong garlic and cabbage rolled into one. It made the fridge smell bad and when returned to Costco they had to remove it right away - the smell was permeating through the sealed bag! Never had this happen before but it's interesting that other people have experienced the same thing. Definitely didn't want to eat it.......!

Just had that experience—purchased a bag of raw broccoli with a strong pungent odor. It took me a few days to figure out the source of the horrendous fridge odor. It looked fine and my husband actually ate some and said it tasted great. However I took one whiff of the bag and immediately put it in the garbage outside. I am curious about what causes this with raw broccoli that looks and tastes normal. I had just purchased it three days prior so it wasn’t old. I do online grocery shopping but will be selecting my own broccoli in the future. :-)

Our home grown broccoli has never stunk in its raw state, but while in the process of cooking it's aroma does rank up there with collards.

All brassicas - cabbage family plants - contain a number of sulphur based compounds that can provide that very pungent odor. Often most noticeable with cooking, the growing plants can also emit a strong aroma if the conditions are right, generally as a result of warm growing conditions (late season, too much sun, too much heat). It is very noticeable with ornamental kale and cabbages if left in place to grow well into spring. They reek from a fair distance!!