Survival Plant Profile: Broccoli

That all changed this last year. After reading Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening
Letting my wife do it!
In reality, I believe we have great luck with broccoli because we keep it well-watered, well-fertilized and also mixed in with other crops like peas, carrots and beets, making it less attractive to pests. I'm also a firm believer in foliar feeding. I've seen sad-looking plants turn into green giants. The garden beds are filled with lush, deep green growth thanks to our special method
Though they're usually grown for their cluster of flower buds, Broccoli leaves are also edible in salads (you might want to remove the tough mid-ribs first) or as a cooked green. The flavor is very similar to that of collards - which makes sense, since collards are its less blue-blood relative. (It's often the case that a garden plant with one edible part also has other portions that can be eaten. Take sweet potatoes or Florida cranberry, for example. Those extra uses are just icing. Or salads, as the case may be. Which are generally better for you than icing.)
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Frost doesn't faze broccoli. It always comes out ahead. |
In my experience, it does best right from seed, rather than as a transplant. Of course - most plants do. Forget the expensive transplants - buy a pack of seeds and scatter away, then thin 'em out and eat the thinnings. (I like to crouch over the beds, clawing up young plants and growling like an ogre as I consume their tender flesh... but that method is obviously not mandatory.)
If you've got a space for luxury foods, put in broccoli. At the very least, it make keep some members of the Bush family out of your garden.
SPUDOMETER RATING:
3.5 Spuds!
Name: Broccoli
Latin Name: Brassica oleracea
Type: Biennial
Nitrogen Fixer: No
Medicinal: No
Cold-hardy: Yes
Exposure: Full sun
Part Used: Flower heads, Leaves
Propagation: Seed
Taste: Very good
Method of preparation: Raw, boiled, steamed
Storability: Leaves and heads can be blanched and frozen
Ease of growing: Moderate
Nutrition: Very good
Recognizability: High
Availability: High
Labels: brassicas, broccoli, florida gardening, survival crop, survival plant
7 Comments:
If you've got a space for luxury foods, put in broccoli. At the very least, it make keep some members of the Bush family out of your garden.
Ha! I remember the day George Bush senior made his brouhaha about broccoli. That was the very day this young man decided broccoli would be a regular part of his diet. True story bro. If I ever do meet him, that is the one thing I will thank him for.
BTW, broccoli does great for me except for one problem: squirrels. The little rascals seem to love the stuff. I just lost about 20 plants to them, leaves, stem and all.
I'm thinking an air rifle with a scope will be a late Christmas present for my son.
That's ridiculous. Kill without pity and eat the corpses!
Rabbit, Hare and Squirrel Recipes
http://honest-food.net/wild-game/rabbit-hare-squirrel-recipes/
Squirrels are highly regarded for their meat by those in the know. Make great dumplings...
Squirrel dumplings with a broccoli side. Mmm.
I was introduced to firearms at a young age. I can remember my first BB gun that my Dad bought me. It was a single pump air rifle. http://www.bestairriflereview.net/
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