… As my veggie - loving pug will tell you !
And I ’m talk the broad outer parting that surround a brain of Brassica oleracea italica , not the few tiny and uninspiring leaves stuck to the head of store - bought Brassica oleracea italica .
Most the great unwashed do n’t realize that you’re able to consume broccoli leafage , or that they ’re just as eatable and scrumptious as the broccoli head itself . And I ca n’t blame them , consider broccoli always comes in a neat little package at the grocery store or farmers ’ grocery store .
It ’s a surprise to many people that the broccoli we bribe and consume is actually averysmall part of the plant itself . So where does the eternal rest of it go ?
The growth habit of broccoli plants
Unless you grow them yourself , you never see the monumental greens that broccoli heads saltation from .
On my Romanesco Brassica oleracea italica plant(Brassica oleracea ‘ Romanesco ’ ) , which grows prominent than your everyday Brassica oleracea italica , the fledged leave sweep up to 2 foot longsighted with hefty ribs and stems .
Even though the plant is typically produce for its flower bud ( what you commonly know as a head of Brassica oleracea italica , or a floret or crown ) , the flower is a relatively diminished part of the crop , and it seems like you wait alllll give ( or come ) for the prize .
( A trophy that sometimes never come , as anyone who has wait fruitlessly for a bud can attest to ! But that ’s a unlike post on the garlic of growing Brassica oleracea italica at home . )
A Brassica oleracea italica industrial plant only produces one significant psyche per life cycle , with occasional petty sprouts that constitute in the axils of the leaves .
These side shoots always change state out lowly than the halfway head ( conceive pungency - sized ) , which is where baby broccoli comes from . This specialism vegetable that you sometimes see at farmers ’ mart or gourmet grocer is simply a bonus harvest — not broccoli pick early .
make out all that , it seems wasteful to employ such a modest portion of the plant when the relaxation of it is so ripe .
Health benefits of broccoli and broccoli leaves
Broccoli is considered one of the most nutritive vegetable on the market , providing 100 percent of the daily economic value of vitamin C in a individual loving cup of chopped Brassica oleracea italica .
It contains a full nutritionary batting order of B vitamins , potassium , branding iron , Ca , minerals , and fiber .
When compare to the prow , the florets have a high-pitched concentration of protective phytochemical like beta carotene and sulforaphane ( the latter of which has beenshown to protect against sure Crab ) .
But broccoli leaves are their own superfood , witheven higheramounts of beta carotene than the floret , along with vitamin A ( which is important for vision and skin wellness ) and phytonutrients that are n’t found in the floweret or root .
That means if you ’re a nurseryman who ’s used to composting Brassica oleracea italica lead or discount them while you await for the heads to form , you are missing out on the many free wellness benefits of this amazing crop .
How to harvest broccoli leaves
If you farm your own broccoli , you may start to harvest a few of the outer ( older ) leaves every workweek once they reach 4 to 6 inch long .
After the plant forms a crown , you’re able to harvest the broccoli head but go forward to pick the leave until you’re able to no longer keep up … badly !
Broccoli is an unbelievable edit - and - follow - again crop , and new leaf remain sore even when the repose of the plant is getting improbable and ungainly .
When I lived in Southern California , I could keep my Brassica oleracea italica growing year - stave in the mild coastal climate ( zone 10b ) .
These second - year plants were still prosper despite having all the crowns harvest synodic month ago , and on some of the plants , I ’d strip them clean of leave to fake with !
( It ’s hard to tell without a human body of reference , but the tallest Brassica oleracea italica industrial plant in the back had grown almost 5 foot grandiloquent ! )
Let ’s just say … we got our filling and did n’t grow any longer broccoli the next year .
How to use and cook broccoli greens
Texture- and appearance - saucy , Brassica oleracea italica greens are similar to collard greens , as both industrial plant belong to the mustard(Brassicaceae)family .
The large leave of absence may look intimidate , but they ’re easy to glean and work with in the kitchen . you’re able to eat broccoli leaves raw or you could make them a number of ways ; heat makes them scented .
If you cull vernal broccoli leave off the plant , they ’re lovesome enough to toss raw into a salad or material into a sandwich .
Medium leaves are the perfect size and heaviness to fill with veggies and meat , à la lolly roll . I also like to wind them around a chicken salad or tuna salad ( instead of using tortillas or pitas )
Look for my formula for broccoli greenish and baked falafel wraps inThe No - Waste Vegetable Cookbook , which assist you waste less and exhaust considerably with vegetables you already originate or bribe .
Large leaves work well in braises , soups , and stews , where they ’ll stick out up to a long simmer and soak up loads of productive flavor . They can even take a immediate sear on the grillroom ( try mist them with a little oil color and seasoning with salt and capsicum ) .
you’re able to make broccoli leaf chips the same fashion you makekale chip . If you ’re a fan of gullible smoothies , you could even juice broccoli leaves .
Broccoli greens can be used in place of collard , kale , cabbage , or chard in many recipes , though they have their own clear-cut savour . The leaves try out gross , mildly acerbic , and faintly of broccoli ( which means people who are usually not tender of broccoli may take a liking to the leafage ) .
I typically do n’t eat the shank on larger leaf , since I find them too fibrous . But if you harvest the central stalk before it spring up too woody , you may uncase the tough outer skin to reveal a crunchy bouquet underneath .
Other “unusual” vegetable leaves you can eat
Still cogitate it ’s weird or unsafe to eat Brassica oleracea italica leaves ? It ’s not — broccoli raab , orrapini , is a fairly mutual veg that ’s grow for its asparagus - similar shoot and leaves .
Another diverseness , Spigariello , is a non - heading Italian broccoli grown for its leaves . You may have already eaten it and not lie with it !
It ’s a pity we do n’t see broccoli leave-taking sold in the grocery computer memory — and why do n’t we ?
Perhaps we ’re so accustomed to the common cast of character in the leafy greens aisle that we only respect broccoli for the jacket , in the same way of life we favor carrot origin over Daucus carota sativa tops . ( Which , by the way , are another misunderstood and highly underused park , sinceyou can eat cultivated carrot topstoo . )
The rest of the brassica sept gets no love either . All the leaves on cauliflower , brussels sprouts , kohlrabi , and cabbage plants ( the broad outer parting , not the ones that take shape a besotted brain ) are ordinarily tossed into the compost pile , but they are , in fact , 100 percentage edible and harvestable at any stage of growth .
Using these unconventional parts of the plant ( which are not really so unlawful , since they ’re just the farewell ) is one of the best slipway toget more out of your garden by doing less . After all , you do n’t have to plant more plant to get more food .
And brassicas are just a handful of the many “ unusual”odds and end of vegetables that are edible(plant scrap , as some people may put it ) but most do n’t think to consume , include leek tops , mash shoot , Lycopersicon esculentum leave , andfava dome exit .
Considering the amount of water supply and resources it takes to grow a food - dense ( and blank space - hogging ) broccoli plant , it feels like such a wasteland for commercial-grade Farmer to harvest the head but discard the perfectly good leaves .
And that gives all the more intellect to grow your own . ( Or make friend with someone who does ! )
( In fuck retentivity of my omnivorous pug-dog , Bebe , who passed off in June 2017 after a long and adventurous life . Broccoli was a large part of herhomemade dog nutrient . )
This post updated from an clause that earlier appeared on April 29 , 2012 .
