Its good for you. (Broccoli)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Broccoli
Date:	18/02/09 (172 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Health , easy to grow

Disadvantages: slugs eat mine

Broccoli purple sprouting broccoli.
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I don't know where my head was last year but somehow my garden has no purple sprouting broccoli this spring shame as I really like this vegetable. (I think possibly we were so busy sorting out my recently Dads affairs)

Purple sprouting broccoli is a brassica a cabbage.
Broccoli grows to about 2 foot tall 60 cm. green cabbage like leaves growing up the stalk then a small purple coloured flower bud head on top and lots of shoots sprouting from the stem by the leaves these shoots have purple coloured flower buds too.
The shoots grow to about 5 inches 12 cm long.


I was tidying up my greenhouse yesterday and found a pack of broccoli seeds so will be sowing these in March.

I note the packet of seeds I have cost around £2.00 I bought mine at the garden centre. You can buy seeds from seeds merchants on line or order from catalogues. You can buy broccoli seeds in many places garden centres and possibly Tesco; I know my local one has a seeds selection.


*I shall sow mine in soil in seed trays in my greenhouse. This gives them a good warm start.
You can start broccoli seeds growing direct in the ground outside. I prefer to start mine inside I shall sow mine in soil in seed trays in my greenhouse. This gives them a good warm start.
When my broccoli is about 3 inches tall I shall plant them outside in the garden.

* Slugs can be a problem for me eating my young broccoli. Another pest that might get my purple sprouting broccoli is the white fly. White butterflies also like to lay their eggs on broccoli leaves but Since I like butterflies I do not worry too much about these.

* I shall water my plants them when they need it. Purple sprouting broccoli is really quite easy to grow.

Purple sprouting broccoli takes a long time to mature it will not be ready to eater till January next year taking about 44 weeks to mature. Calabrese which people often call broccoli is quicker to mature.

So hopefully next January I shall be feasting on purple sprouts. There are several different varieties which mature at different times check your packets for those that suit you best.

If you do not grow your own broccoli is available in supermarkets to buy.

* Broccoli is a good vegetable to eat with a meat meal. It is a vegetable that my grandchildren will eat more attractive than green leaves although the purple flower buds do turn green after cooking.
I will sometimes cook the green leaves as well as the purple shoots.

Broccoli is good cooked in a pasta dish there are many pasta and broccoli recipes in the internet a simple one at http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Pasta_with_Purple_S prouting_Broccoli.aspx.

Broccoli goes well with bacon makes a good soup. There is a recipe at http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Pasta_with_Purple_S prouting_Broccoli.aspx.
Young broccoli shoots are also good eaten raw

* Broccoli is a healthy vegetable to eat; it is packed with vitamin C and is a good source of caretenoids, iron, folic acid, calcium, fiber and vitamin A. There are reports that this vegetable help protect against cancers and diabetes
See http://www.allhealthy.com /2009/02/the-health-value-of-food-determined-by-it s-color/ for info on health benefits.


So go on be healthy eat your purples as well as your greens

Summary: A member of the cabbage family