Comments on: Broccoli flowers (flashback!)

By: Ranette

Ranette — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:49:40 +0000

What can be done with the bean looking seeds from the broccoli plant. Can I eat them?

By: Sharron B.

Sharron B. — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 03:00:47 +0000

Here in Central Florida, I plant broccoli in early October, start harvesting before Christmas. Prior to harvesting the heads, we took a few leaves from each plant a couple of times a week and used them like lettuce in salad. Very tasty. I’m now harvesting endless florets and flowered heads for soup, salad, and green smoothies. The flowered heads can also be dipped in tempura batter and fried. I put in a second crop the first week of January and that harvest is coming in this week. All brassicas (members of the cabbage family) produce flowers, as do all angiosperms. Once the flower is fertilized, a seed is usually produced. You should be able to to collect seeds once the flowers are dried and shriveled. I love the idea of putting broccoli blooms in a vase and you can rest assured that they are “real flowers”.

By: Flowers

Flowers — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:58:19 +0000

Wow, amazing blog format! How lengthy have you been running a blog for? you made blogging glance easy. The entire look of your website is fantastic, as well as the content!

By: Flower Advisor

Flower Advisor — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:08:23 +0000

Very beautiful, thx for posting this.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:30:37 +0000

and another thing….. (sorry)

I read above about using the seeds for next generation crop???

How do you “capture” the seeds to store for next year? or am I just being silly thinking you can do that?

Thanks.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:26:19 +0000

Hi all,

When we planted our vege patch we overestimated the amount of broccoli to go in, so I have been having fresh broccoli from my garden everynight for the last few weeks (in South West Sydney, Aus). However with all the rain this week I haven;t gone to the patch for fresh veges. Today I went out and heaps of my brocolli side stems are in bloom/starting to bloom.

Thanks for your info here re being able to eat them – they will be the main vegetable in my chicken and broccoli flower green curry for dinner tonight.

just quickly though – can you eat the leaves of the broccoli plant as well? or are they best for my wormfarm/compost?

By: dave ciechanowski

dave ciechanowski — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:45:10 +0000

how or were you tie up broccoli

By: crumb

crumb — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:46:43 +0000

I love broccoli flowers! When mine goes to seed (it’s Early Dividend too) I love to cut a few shoots and put them in some water on my dining room table. The shoot is hardy and lasts a long time while all the flowers come out and I find it so nice to look at even if it isn’t a “real” flower!

By: chrisry

chrisry — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:18:03 +0000

What happens to the flowers on the broccoli? does it turn to seed?

By: Mike (tfb)

Mike (tfb) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:36:08 +0000

Jon: The little beads/buds that make up the broccoli head are what turn into the flowers, so at that point, it's over for regular broccoli. See the comments above for what to do with broccoli flowers. Some varieties put out good side shoots, mini-heads that you harvest, so you can cut off the main head and wait and see what happens.

John: I don't tie up broccoli or cauliflower. I've heard of tying up cauliflower to blanche it, keep the heads white by keeping them out of the sunlight, but I think a lot of the varieties now are self-blanching, the leaves stay wrapped close around the head. And you wouldn't need to do that for broccoli.