Anything left in the garden to pick??

[Constance]

Just a word to the wise...

Be sure to soak your fall broccoli in salt water before you cook it. Just because the cabbage butterflies are gone, doesn't mean there aren't other worms hanging out in the garden.
I had beautiful fall broccoli for my Thanksgiving dinner one year. Since we'd had several hard frosts, I didn't bother to soak the broccoli in salt water before I cooked it, and when I put it in the boiling water to cook, little green worms started floating to the top.
Now, here's the thing...my living room, kitchen and dining room are all one big L-shaped room, and my guests, including my father, who had a very sensitive stomach, were hanging out around the island where the stove is.
I dipped out the first few worms without being noticed, but when more and more kept coming to the top, I quickly clapped the lid on the pot and asked my guests whether they wanted peas or green beans.
Everyone had really been looking forward to the broccoli, so I ended up having to explain the problem. Thank goodness my family has a sense of humor.



PS...I sure I don't bore you all too much with my stories.

 

[larry_stewart]

I once ate broccoli fresh right out of the garden, just to realize i had a mouth full of aphids, which were the same size, shape and color of the small florets, so i didnt even know they were there. I haven't grown broccoli since.

 

[homecook]

Just a word to the wise...

Be sure to soak your fall broccoli in salt water before you cook it. Just because the cabbage butterflies are gone, doesn't mean there aren't other worms hanging out in the garden.
I had beautiful fall broccoli for my Thanksgiving dinner one year. Since we'd had several hard frosts, I didn't bother to soak the broccoli in salt water before I cooked it, and when I put it in the boiling water to cook, little green worms started floating to the top.
Now, here's the thing...my living room, kitchen and dining room are all one big L-shaped room, and my guests, including my father, who had a very sensitive stomach, were hanging out around the island where the stove is.
I dipped out the first few worms without being noticed, but when more and more kept coming to the top, I quickly clapped the lid on the pot and asked my guests whether they wanted peas or green beans.
Everyone had really been looking forward to the broccoli, so I ended up having to explain the problem. Thank goodness my family has a sense of humor.



PS...I sure I don't bore you all too much with my stories.

I had that happen to me one time. It grossed me out so bad! Thankfully it was just dh, ds and I. I swore I would never grow broccoli again. That didn't last long, I grew it the next year and never had a problem. At least I don't think I did.

Barb

 

[Dove]

larry
If you decide to try them, here is what I learned. Choose the smoothest tubers you can find. Just scrub them and don't peel them, because the nutrients are just below the surface of the skin. You can use them raw in a salad but you have to put some lemon or vinegar over them because they oxidize quickly. They pair particularly well with potatoes, apparently.

I just sliced them, drizzled them with olive oil and salt and pepper and roasted them in a 400ºF oven for 45 minutes until they were golden brown. They were surprisingly sweet and kind of nutty-tasting. All in all, a successful experiment in foraging locally in January.

This was on Google

 

[Claire]

How funny. I haven't grown broccoli since moving up north, when I lived in Florida it was one of my winter crops. Stories like yours are the reason I tune in to this site. I used to just take my broccoli and run it under the faucet to clean. If I ever grow it again, I'll be more careful! Another winter crop in FL was the brussels sprouts. I liked to pick them on the small side (slightly smaller than you'd buy in a store). They were the favorite of one of my sister, my husband, and Daddy.

Here the season for growing is almost gone. I have some parsley, sage and thyme left outside. The rosemary, curry, lemongrass, and a baby blueberry bush have all been moved in for the season, I don't put them completely in the ground. I'd have more herbs inside if I had the place for them, but all of my windows are above heat registers and it just kills almost everything.

 

[expatgirl]

will dandelion weeds qualify.........I didn't think so.......what a Charlie Brown...........when and if I come back for real.......I'll get a decent garden going..................and I won't have to dig it myself.........at least I don't think. so..............do I, honey????

 

[expatgirl]

I once ate broccoli fresh right out of the garden, just to realize i had a mouth full of aphids, which were the same size, shape and color of the small florets, so i didnt even know they were there. I haven't grown broccoli since.

larry, aphids are the wimps of the insect world..........you shoulda blasted them with your power blaster water hose...........believe me........they think twice about coming back to Larry's water world roller coaster ride........

 

[larry_stewart]

If I had seen them I would have, but I only realized it after i had a mouth full, which was enough to freak me. But one of the grosser bug experiences was when i told my wife to pick lettuce ad make me a salad, and as i was eating the salad, i see a slug sliding out from beneath the lettuce to the rim of my bowl. Now, u should see how many times i wash the lettuce before eating it .

 

[Porthand]

In western OR we just shift gears and plant other crops. I beat the rains and got some elephant garlic planted along with 2 types of fava beans. Now I need to go find a nice chianti!

 

[Maralyn45]

Reply:

I am thinking of cucmbers this time....