New gardner and learning to cook at 60, lol

[Brudge]

hello I am new to this site. I found it by looking to see if the broccoli that I planted late is now growing that probably won't do anything but grow the plant and leaves is edible.
I live in Arizona opps wrong time to plant broccoli so can I salvage the plant for anything? Happy to find this site if nothing comes out of the plant

 

[Somebunny]

Welcome to DC Brudge! We have a few gardeners here among the very talented cooks. Please feel free to look around and jump in anywhere. There is always lots of help here. I'm not sure if you are asking if the broccoli plant itself is edible, if it doesn't have the opportunity to set heads, but if that is your question, I would think not, the stalk should be quite woody and not very tasty, but I am not an expert, so there may be others here who have more knowledge. Are you growing anything else?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Welcome, Brudge! I'm not a gardener, just a consumer. Someone will be along to answer your question. Have fun!

 

[CWS4322]

Welcome to DC! Yes, you can eat the broccoli leaves (and don't forget the stems are great for broccoli soup). I'm one of the rudimentary cooks on the forum who also happens to garden...and now, I have laying hens! What I often do is search for "recipe using eggplant, okra, and tomatoes" or "recipe using rhubarb" when I have an abundance of s/thing in the garden.

 

[medtran49]

And for future reference, your state or a state university should have a gardening reference you can look up for next season on when to plant, what does best in your area, any special soil needs, etc. We live in an area where everything is backward to most of the rest of the country, our planting/growing season is late, late fall, winter and early spring, not a whole lot will grow here and produce in summer. Never tried to grow broccoli so can't give advice there.

 

[Zhizara]

My Mom and I used to plant three or four starter broccoli each fall. The plants get enormous and are a beautiful blue/green. After the main head had been harvested, each leaf would produce a single spear. Fantastic just snapped off and eaten raw.

Harvesting would usually last through March. Really good production for just the two of us.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Like medtran said, you want to talk to your local Extension office for info on gardening (and cooking, and livestock, and small business start-up, and nutrition, and. . . we have info on everything!)

Here is the link--Arizona Cooperative Extension | Improving Lives and Communities