Are broccoli leaves edible?

I've never tried them but do people eat broccoli leaves like they do cabbage? How do they taste? I peel and eat the stems and they're good. My cabbages and broccoli are so beautiful right now. Any responses would be appreciated!

It appears you can. I have included small leaves with the heads when harvesting and cooked them together. this link gives a recipe for medium to larger leaves. Hope this helps:
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f18/broccoli-leaves-edible-422.html

Thank you so much gardadore. They have a great-sounding recipe in there and several people said they're not bitter. That's Great!!

Broccoli, Cabbage, Kohrabi, Brussels sprouts and a bunch of other plants are all in the Mustard Farmily. Here's a list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciferous_vegetables

Thanks Honeybee. wow, there's a lot of info there. Do you cook your cabbage for 30 minutes like they said? I mean, you ARE british.... right? I've heard of the cabbage family helping with cancer but never that it can induce goiters..! I wonder if people with low thyroid eat a lot of cole slaw! Actually my husband will only eat cabbage in cole slaw and he DOES have low thyroid. And they also said it can interfere with drugs. Wow.

PrissyJo - I grew up eating a lot of cabbage. I steam it until it's just tender - I don't think it takes 30 minutes. Yes, I am British. Until I came to America, I had never eaten cole slaw, but I like that, too - except what is purchased comercially has sugar in it, and I avoid sugar.

I need a good no-sugar cole slaw recipe.

OOOOO Yes! And are they good!!!!! Wash em, slice em up and saute them in some really good olive oil with salt and garlic, pour in a drop of chicken broth and simmer til tender. OMG! Throw in some sun dried tomatoes and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes for a real treat.

I make homemade mayo and its much cheaper and tastes alot better than the store bought. Only takes a few minutes. I use that for coleslaw. Let me dig my recipie out along with the one for leek packets and I'll post it. I cook with practically no sugar.

Yes, raw cabbage can affect the thyroid and it definetly can interfere with some mediations. Its actually reccomended to eat lots of cabbage if you have hyperthyroid.

My dear Mum used to cook it to death. I steam it til tender, but I saute it with garlic and olive oil first or cook it with knockwurst. Yummmy Yummy

Honeybee~~
I steam it, too and I didn't like what they said on that link about cabbage, etc., if you eat it without it being cooked for 30 minutes. It's creepy isn't it? My husband's mother was Scottish and she boiled the cabbage for about three hours!!!!

And I make coleslaw with no sugar by adding raisins, dried blueberries, and chunks of whatever dried sweet fruits I have or fresh pineapple, cut up very small.... but it still doesn't taste like commercial slaw but it all depends on what your taster likes. When you get used to eating little or no sugar, it's good!

Yehudith~~
Well, this is certainly good news! I won't waste or compost another broccoli leaf!! That recipe sounds absolutely fabulous. It's actually the way I cook almost all my greens except I had never added the chicken broth, garlic, tomatoes or pepper. Sounds like you have great creative cooking instincts.

Y-- I take a long time to type I guess. You posted while I was typing!

yes, PLEASE find those recipes! Thanks~

Not to get off track, but MY SEEDS FINALLY CAME!!!!!!!!!!! YIPEE!!!!!!!!!! I've been waiting for ages for these. Customs is a pain, although I do understand we need to protect our home. Everyone is an heirloom, some going back to medievel europe and some are extremely rare. One nearly but for the Grace of G-d and one little old lady had gone extinct with the exception of 4 seeds she had left, her entire crop had failed in one year. She passed them on to a seed bank who managed to grow them on and now have some seeds available. If I have a successful harvest of them I'll be sure and let everyone know and get atleast a couple seeds out. We have just got to keep these old treasures going.

WOW! That's fabulous!! Good luck with the growing out. I'll be waiting to hear!

The flowers on mustards are also edible. I use them in salads and as garnishes. They taste like the vegetable. As for sugarless slaw, look for recipes for Asian style slaw using rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame oil. You can use a variety of cabbages, kohlrabi, broccoli, winter radish, etc., all together. It not only is sugar free but, unlike mayo, can be left out all day without spoiling. Great for picnics, traveling and pot lucks.

Interesting MaypopLaurel.... I've picked the new flower shoots from komatsuna a lot and they taste like broccoli so it makes sense that others would be good, too... but it's Asian. I'll try the Asian slaw and I hope Honeybee sees this, too!

My goats say yes definitely yes. Italian loose leaf cabbage (some call it kale) is ornamental as well as edible and tastes like broc. its also a perennial so you can pick the leaves and the plant keeps growing. The goats also like these.

Hey Lisa~~ goats will eat ANYTHING wont they?! :) I'm jealous that you have goats, my lot is too small and they make GREAT poop and they're so cute!

I grew kale last year and just now dug it out (huge roots) because it was starting to go to seed and I needed the room but it produced greens for me all winter, even at -9! Fantastic plant.

This is a different type of kale. I call it loose leaf cabbage, thats what the seeds from Baker Creek say.

No, the goats don't eat anything and thats what thru me. I have 2 gardening areas and one of the goats jumped out of the grass (over the chicken wire) and into my "kitchen garden" . It ate JUST the broc. right down the row. I didn't catch it until I planted out the third time. Needless to say no broc last year.

Yup, I'm still here. Been busy in the garden the past few days setting out lots of transplants.

Looking forward to your recipe, yehudith, if you happen to find it.

Lisa~~ Well, I DID NOT KNOW that about goats!! I actually have 6 varieties of broccoli kale from Kitizawa but only planted two this spring, was saving the rest for the fall. They're not really doing very well; only three plants survived. I think they need more water than I can give them with no rain. I planted Green Lance and Kailaan Open Pollinate and now I will DEFINITELY be eating their leaves!

Super Good Cole Slaw

1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard ( I cheat and use a dijon and just add to taste)
1/8 tsp salt ( I cook without salt)
3 eggs
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbs cornstarch ( you can use flour, but I try to use as little gluten as possible)

Bring everything but the eggs and flour to the boil. Beat the eggs and cornstarch together and very very slowly, drop by drop add hot mixture beating all the while to prevent curdling. Return to very low heat and cook until just starting to thicken. Refrigerate. Will keep several weeks.

Grate cabbage sprinkle with salt pepper and lemon juice, let stand 15 min then stir in dressing. We're done. OMG its good!


Bob and Kerry (named for my neighbour's in-laws. Long story)

Greens (Broccoli, kale, collards etc)
1 can Eden black eyed peas
1 can Eden organic tomatoes with chipoltele (adobo works too)
1 cup frozen corn
1-2 onions chopped
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
olive oil (make sure its a good heavy one, I like the Tuscan)

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until just translucent and smelling good. Add greens and saute until really wilted. Add a bit of chicken broth , veggie broth or water and simmer a couple minutes. Add BEP and tomatoes, frozen corn and enough broth to cover and simmer until liquid can barely be seen. Adjust seasonings. Great hot, cold or room temp.

yehudith - thanks for the Cole Slaw recipe. I didn't know it was made with eggs, no wonder I could never get it right! I'm allergic to citrus, so I assume, I could replace the lemon juice with vinegar - that's what I usually do in most recipes.

Yehudith,
Would you please post your mayonnaise recipe?

Thanks!

Hey Linda! I think that first part under the Super Good Cole Slaw IS the mayo recipe? But I noticed it doesn't have any oil. So maybe not? Anyway, I'm interested in trying that. It looks great. And the greens and black eyeds too. Glad I looked at this thread! Janet

I just got some Italian Heirloom seed from Sherilou:
"Spigariello Liscia"
"Broccolo Spigariello"
(Brassica oleracea var. 'Spigariello')

They say the leaves ARE the edible part in this heirloom, and broccoli-flavored (but apprently hairy or felt-like).

I started it way too late this year, but I'll see what comes up, and also try for a fall crop.
If they bolt, I'll have plenty of seeds next year.

OP Heirloom. Full sun annual vegetable.

Mild broccoli-flavored leaves & tops. Strip off the center rib.
Steaming, braising, soups or stir fries. Cooked leaves freeze well.
Flavor similar to kale, much more tender, felt-like texture.

12-24" tall. 16"-24" spacing.

Direct-sow in 3" trench after last frost. Cover ⅛". Very high germination.
Once established, plants are OK above 25º.
Floating row covers prevent worms.

(From what I read, here's my plan for next year,
as well direct-sowing later under plastic, and also right after the last-frost date:
Start indoors in peat pellets for TX late Feb or in cloches or plastic Jan-Feb.)


Corey

Wow Corey I think you just gave me the answer to another post I had. I supposed planted a broccoli and it turned out EXACTLY as you described that Italian variety. It was so weird I didn't even try it but it's up again this year and I'm going to try it with that recipe. Here's a pic of it:

Cool! Did the seed packet say "Broccolo"?

One person said he or she grew it ... but didn't know what to eat uintil someone said "LEAVES!" Then she/he loved it.

Here's some links:
http://blog.gardeners.com/2009/10/spigariello.html
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/108945/

I realized that I'm not likely to get a good crop this year, and I have so many brassicas going the seed will probably be widely crossed out ... so I just ordered a big packet from Hazzards!

The idea that the plants will OK down to 25 degrees once established motivates me to start some indoors early next year, and try putting some out VERY early, like under plastic bottles or plastic film. Our winter is so mild, and spring so long, that will really stretch out the growing season.

Corey

I don't know Corey! Mine looks fuzzier than the links. Those pictures look good! It just really looks tasty! I thought I was planting Waltham 29 from Fedco. Then this crazy looking stuff came up and baffled me. I'd never seen a vegetable like it before and kept waiting and waiting for it to head.... it never did. I was frustrated (it grew all summer in our heat) in the fall and just pulled it all up.... however, it's back! It's growing great guns again... I'm going to taste test the leaves. When you said, once established, do you mean it's a perennial? It seems to grow anywhere anytime. We had -9 degree winter and we've already had 98 and extreme winds, no rain since August and it's still going! Crazy stuff.... I hope it's good... I'll let you know. And it is felt-like, sort of like velvet, not like a broccoli leaf.

>> When you said, once established, do you mean it's a perennial?

I don't think so. Going by what I read, I think they meant that after a seed has germinated and established its roots and got a few leaves, it can take cold temps down to 25 degrees. That has me excited, because it seems we have MONTHS that hover around that as a low temp.

>> (it grew all summer in our heat) in the fall and just pulled it all up... however, it's back

Wow! Not exactly a wimpy or fussy plant!

If you save any seeds, I would love a few so I could grow it side-by-side with Sherilou's and Hazzard's "Spigariello Liscia ... Broccolo Spigariello ... Brassica oleracea var. 'Spigariello'

If they are NOT the same plant, I want to try some of yours!

When my seeds from Hazzards arrive, I could send you some of what they call :
"G8361 Greens Spigariello Liscia". That would give a positive ID.

Have you considered taking a photo and asking on the ID forum? They are good at that.

Plant and Tree Identification Discussion Forum
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/plantid/all/


Corey

There's a program on talk radio I heard about instinct eating, I do that, but I like food so, just abt anything is fair game, however, what the show said was to eat to your blood type, like cabbage and O+ blood types aren't compatible. I do like brassicas, but I never choose them, I do love dairy, it can't stand me or the diverticulosis, gives me AWFUL gas, Have learned to avoid even food cooked with dairy, or made with dairy for my peace of mind, and that includes mayo, sigh. Also reduction of raw nuts that I could live on as snax, and potatoes are a 1x a week indulgence. Eggs bit the dust with my hbp meds, they just don't like eggs, and sometimes chicken, but I can do grilled chicken, Don't know how I will eat if I ever turn diabetic, I love veggies, use celery stix and carrot shavings as munchies....and I will indulge in steamed broccoli with lemon squeezed over it in butter and do love it, as an occasional treat. My goats would eat anything the deer would eat, plus my dinner, may depend on the breed of goat as to their particular choices..?

kittriana -

I have a brother whom is mildly diabeic, it took me a year and a half and his aching gut, and his Dr to get him to stop the red grapefruit juice with his meds, he did switch to diet DrPepper, but I honestly cant stand cokes anymore, his is sorta controlled, my siblings and I all experience different variations of the things our mother had to deal with when her congestive heart could not be given new meds to control it, foods are important in all that, I have the hardest time getting food that is healthy, as I do not live from a groc store and refrigerator often enuff, I always eat 'out' unless upon occasion my tightly planned route lets me take 30 min to pull into a 'forgiving' Walmart. Then I am always starved for fruit and raw veggies...and my Dr just has to allow me some cravings...

kittriana - do you have a vegetable garden? I don't think I could live without mine. Nothing better than walking out the back door and picking fresh produce for dinner - tonight it will be "peas". Tomorrow I'm going to pull more beets.

Once upon a lifestyle I did, but my job only allows me to plant stuff and hope it survives til I get home, I grew up in deep country and we didn't get into town for much except out of season stuff, but I've been following older folx around since the 50's, chuckl

Once upon a lifestyle I did, but my job only allows me to plant stuff and hope it survives til I get home, I grew up in deep country and we didn't get into town for much except out of season stuff, but I've been following older folx around since the 50's, chuckl, my paternal grandfather and I found NOT staying at the house as usual...

ok, doubling is new to me

my chosen profession as a professional traveler, is very restrictive and not heart healthy

Someone, I don't remember who was asking about their broccoli not doing well and someone else said they had problems getting cabbage and brussels sprouts to do well. Well, I was reading one of my old gardening manuals today (1861) and it says that when you plant brassicas you have to 1) soil thim up to atleast their first leaves 2) firm them in really tightly so they don't rock at all 3) give them lots of water or they will tend to bolt 4) they prefer soil more in the range of 7. The firming is really critical, as they don't like light soil, you should be able to pull on a leaf until it rips and the plant not move.

Broccoli, and other cabbages love cool weather, since the Anasazi were the first to grow it, the desert nights are cold, the days are sun and heat, am glad they've got varieties that grow in diff regions now...

Trucking is not a healthy profession by any means.. its too sedentary, the food on the run is not the greatest and packing for the road is very difficult... I personally thnk eating healthy these days is difficult no matter waht you do for a living.

There is too much processed food that we eat and gads all those preservitives.. we are imbalmed before we die.