Harvesting and Using Fresh Broccoli

[Guest guest]

Harvesting and Using Fresh Broccoli

By Brenda Hyde

 

Broccoli is full of Vitamin C, and is also a good source for Vitamin

A, Vitamin K and potassium. It's also one of the " love it or hate it "

veggies. There doesn't seem to be opinions in-between! It's so good

for you though, that it seems to me everyone just needs to find a

recipe that appeals to them, rather than writing it off entirely. My

kids always

called broccoli " little trees " and we tried to make it a fun

vegetable. Well that, and our rule of always

having to at least try something before judging it

helped too.

Broccoli should be harvested before ANY tiny

yellow flowers appear on the head. This is a sign

that's it's overmature and may be bitter. You want

to harvest it, regardless of the size, when it's

compact and tightly formed. You may get one large head and many small

ones. Leave some of the stem from the first head on the plant and side

shoots will form that can be harvested too.

Store broccoli in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, and use it

within 3-5 days. Sooner is better because the vitamin content will

continue to decrease the longer it's stored. You can freeze

broccoli florets by blanching them in boiling water

for 3 minutes or steaming for 5 minutes. Cool in

ice water and place in freezer bags or containers.

Herbs that go well with broccoli are caraway seed,

dill, mustard seed, tarragon, basil, oregano, garlic

and marjoram.