Broccoli

This popular member of the cabbage family will be in your share frequently this spring and early summer.

Cooking Tips

Broccoli is actually the flowering head of the cabbage plant, and can be eaten either raw or cooked. If you are cooking broccoli, just cut it into approximately equally sized pieces so that they will cook evenly. Try steaming it for about five minutes, or throw it into a wok to stir fry for about the same amount of time. Eating it raw needs no explanation- just a tasty dressing or dip if you prefer. Try to avoid overcooking broccoli both to preserve its nutritional value and its flavor and texture.

Storage Tips

Broccoli is best stored in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge, and eaten sooner rather than later. If you want to freeze some broccoli, cut it into equal sized pieces and blanch in hot water for a few minutes before cooling and putting it in a plastic freezer bag.

Nutrition

Broccoli is really good for you, with lots of cancer fighting compounds and fiber, as well as vitamins A, B, and C, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.

History

Broccoli, a variety of Brassica oleracea, is a close relative of kale, kohlrabi, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. It was first cultivated in Ancient Rome, and remained popular on the Italian peninsula ever since. Although it was farmed in the US as early as the 1700's did not get strongly establish until brought over from Italy to the United States in the 1920s, where it quickly became popular because of its excellent nutritional value.

Field Notes

We plant an entire acre of broccoli out at the farm, so while it lasts in the spring there is plenty of it! Broccoli hates warm weather, so we harvest it first thing in the morning, cutting the mature florets with a harvest knife and tossing them into a harvest backpack.