Broccoli Leaves

[Kay Robbins]

This is my first time growing broccoli and I am impressed by the beautiful large leaves on the plants. They look similar to my much loved collard green leaves. So now I am wondering, are they good to eat? Does anyone have suggestions for cooking them?

[Tamra]

They are good to eat. I put them in stir fry, or treat like broccoli. But be sure you leave enough leaves on the plant so it can make energy to produce the broccoli heads.

[Julia Ward]

I love this recipe.
http://www.ferryplazafarmersmarket.com/seasonality/recipes/entrees/...

I've never grown the sprouting kind of broccoli, but bet they have more tender leaves. As with all greens...I've found "small" is always better. I tried kohlrabi leaves last fall and they were fabulous (radish leaves were awful). And pea shoots weren't my thing.

blessings,
julia

[Michelle W. Flannery]

You have to pull radish leaves when they are young - when you're thinning the plants. I love to nibble them when I'm in the garden. I also like to add the young leaves to salads.

[Kay Robbins]

Thanks for the info. That recipe sounds great. I wonder what happens to all those leaves when the commercial growers harvest their broccoli for sale. I hate to think they are just discarded.

[Kristi Robinsn]

We have planted broccoli for the first year in our garden. The seeds were planted in March. We now have large, green leaves on all of the plants, but no sign of broccoli heads. Does anyone know what could have caused this, or if the heads will possibly sprout later in the summer?

[Amy Lockhart]

Typically, broccoli is a "Cool" weather veggie, so it could be the heat that is delaying the heading...I have found, though, that depending on the variety, it can take what SEEMS like an eternity for the heads to appear. When you do finally get a head, be sure not to wait long to harvest, as the heat will make it bolt quickly and start to flower...flowering broccoli tastes mushy and yuck :-(

[Joel LeGrand]

Hi everyone,
Michelle, when do you start planting cole plants in the Fall. Do you start seed or transplant.

[Michelle W. Flannery]

Hi Joel. In recent years I've only used transplants. This year I will be starting all from seed. Using cabbage as an example, and going by the information on the seed packet This is how I will proceed working in Georgia (mild winters, a few mild frosts, even fewer hard frosts) where our cole crops winter over very easily:

It's probably smart to think of harvest time and work backwards to find a planting/seed starting time.

Start seeds indoors first week in August
Days to germination: 5-14
Transplant outdoors: 4-8 weeks (end of August to end of September)
Days to maturity: 60-100 (late October to December)
Harvest Goal: mid-October to late November and/or longer through the winter and early spring

You'll need to look at your own area's weather and seasonal changes to consider when to start your seeds/plants, but I don't think SC is too different from where I am in GA.

Looks like I'm already running close to behind with seed starting! With transplants, I figure when they show up in the garden center they're ready to plant in the ground!

[Joel LeGrand]

Thanks Michelle,
I put my greens in to late this past winter,their did not do well. So I put them in this spring , but I planted the seeds in the ground to late, the heat got them. At least the deer do not like them.

[Michelle W. Flannery]

Joel, have you met Tamra yet? She lives in Tennessee, and I find her to be a wealth of knowledge and experience. I learn so much from her, from gardening, to recipes, and even how to braid garlic! She left a comment once for someone else one time that advised counting backwards from harvest date to figure out seed planting time. Some of the best information I ever acquired.