Can You Eat Broccoli Flowers?
A Brassica oleracea italica that flowers is a house that the plant is preparing to create seeds to ego - propagate , which is the rude scheme of thing . But it also means that you have missed your luck to love the plump , tasty broccoli heads .
Bloomin ' broccoli ! What to do now ? The flowers of broccoli ( Brassica oleracea[Italica Group ] ) are in reality edible , and in some cases , taste good . They also can be acerb , however . So it ’s time to experiment , but perhaps also fourth dimension to learn how to prevent the Brassica oleracea italica from flowering next year and to insure a larger harvest .
When and Why Broccoli Flowers
A healthy Brassica oleracea italica works forms tight , deep - green heads afterabout 80 to 100 daysfrom planting , which is when you should harvest it .
Like all plants , broccoli ’s inner time bombpushes it to self - propagateafter it reaches maturity , but your end is the opposite : You desire to slice off its headbeforeit can blossom and go to seed , a process call " bolting . "
- A Brassica oleracea italica industrial plant will flower when it ’s stress or if it receive too much heating system , too piffling wet or experiences a life-threatening freeze . * * This can happen before the fledged head forms or later . Unfortunately , if it happens before it can mold a head , you wo n’t get a crop .
In summertime , it senses that daytime 60 minutes are lengthening , which is another cue for Brassica oleracea italica to flower and go to cum .
Tip
You should harvest your broccoli about 80 to 100 days from planting , when the plant forms wet , bass - greenish header .
Eating Broccoli Flowers and Leaves
Boltin ' Brassica oleracea italica ! But wait — you may actually eat those flowers in many case and the leaves too . It ’s rightful that Brassica oleracea italica flowers may have a blistering flavor , but they often taste quite flavorful . Some gardener account that they are mild and loco and peachy raw in salad . Some upscale market really sell them .
To rust the leave , most people recommend that you hit the center stanch the way you would with lolly , then chop up them and bring them to soups and stir kid .
Using Broccoli Seeds
Instead of eating the broccoli flowers , regard allow some to go to ejaculate . If you have an heirloom variety , the seeds will stay on true to the parent — but be cognizant that with hybrids you have no warranty .
Brassica oleracea italica seeds take their cherubic time to form . When the seedpods turn a light beige , they ’re quick to harvest . Cut off the plant life and hang it in a well - ventilate arena for a brace weeks ; then dispatch the seeds from their pods , which are foretell " silques . "
Save the seed and industrial plant next twelvemonth as you normally would .
Preventing Broccoli Bolting
Broccoli is a nerveless - season plant . Too much rut , and poof!—flowers come along . But if the plant is stressed in other ways , it will also flower . So the best way to fend off premature flowering is to provide it with the optimum environmental condition and to harvest it when it ’s ready . Here are the basic :
