Some individuals like broccoli florets, however broccoli leaves and stems can also be consumed. The broccoli stem has the greatest fiber, but the broccoli leaves have the most cell-protecting antioxidants, vitamins E and K, and calcium. At the grocery store or farmer’s market, search for broccoli with dark green or purple florets, not yellow ones.
Do not wash broccoli until it is ready to be cooked. Unwashed, it will last a week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Up to 90 percent of broccoli’s nutrients are destroyed by boiling, so cook it in a different manner. It may be easily roasted, steamed, stir-fried, or microwaved. Broccoli may also be eaten raw with hummus or salad dressing.
For further methods of preparing broccoli, please visit: Broccoli Parmesan Pasta Broccoli Soup Broccoli & Tomatoes Roasted Broccoli
What portion of the broccoli plant is consumed?
By Published: 7/26/18, Most recent revision: 8/10/20 Food waste is not always obvious, and there are situations when you may not even notice it. I’ve witnessed consumers at the farmers’ market discard approximately half of their purchases before leaving the vendor.
They are not doing so because they like wasting money. It occurs because many consumers are unaware that they are discarding perfectly edible and tasty portions of their vegetables. Beet greens, carrot fronds, radish greens, and more are left behind despite the fact that they might be great additions to the market haul.
Consider broccoli and cauliflower, for instance. We’re accustomed to consuming the heads. If you believed the signage in the grocery store, you may assume that the “crowns,” or the very tops of the heads, are the most valuable portion of the plant since they are emphasized and sold at a premium price.
However, these cruciferous beauties are comprised of much more than simply their flowers. Both broccoli and cauliflower develop similarly. Both of these plants are cole, which means they grow on a stalk. The heads develop inside a ruffle of big green leaves. All of these pieces are not only edible, but also delightful and nutritionally dense.
Some eaters, including this one, prefer the stalks and leaves of broccoli and cauliflower plants to the head, which is more typically consumed.
Five ways to cook broccoli stalks – airs weeknights at 7pm on SBS Food, or you can view it for free on. Broccoli may not be everyone’s favorite vegetable from childhood, but these small green trees bring so much complexity and color to cuisines from around the world.
Their fluffy florets make for the perfect food mop in a curry or stew, and their stems give the perfect crunch when shredded fresh and added to a salad. This cruciferous vegetable is the ultimate two-for-one bargain. Many home chefs discard broccoli stems because they do not know how to prepare them or are unaware that they are edible.
They pay all the attention to the florets, guiding the lowly valued stems to a new home in the trash. They are, however, the unsung heroes of this magnificent vegetable. Add a few stems to it The texture and flavor of broccoli stems are comparable to those of kohlrabi.
- They have a harder outer shell that contributes crunch when eaten raw, and a center that turns crisp and juicy when cooked.
- Once added to a meal, the stems impart a subtle, earthy flavor that serves as an excellent foundation for more robust flavors.
- In addition, they are nutritionally equivalent to the head, providing slightly more calcium, iron, and vitamin C per gram.
By adding the stems into your meal, you will not only prevent them from going to waste, but you will also get the nutritional benefits. A win-win situation exists. The food waste activist and co-founder of,, believes that broccoli stems are frequently discarded owing to ignorance and a fear of cooking with new foods.
Elliott-Howery continues, “I just believe it’s a habit.” “We’re taught that they should be discarded, and I believe a lot of people don’t even realize you can eat them.” Simply understanding how to prepare a component allows you to use the entire thing.” “People don’t realize there is so much flavor in the fibrous sections and don’t know how to prepare them,” says a chef and instructor from Cornersmith Cooking School.
After then, there is no turning back.” To prepare broccoli stems for cooking, the head chef suggests first removing and setting away all of the florets. Then, he cleans up the stem by slicing 5 centimeters off the woody base and peeling it gently; the remnants can be put to vegetable stocks or composted.
Can broccoli leaf be consumed?
Turn a New (Crocodile) Leaf Young collard plant in a planting bed It has the appearance of Tuscan kale, the flavor of sugar snap peas, and 100 percent of the recommended values for vitamin C and calcium per serving. What is this supernatural food? These are broccoli leaves.
- These are the bigger leaves that grow around the stem of the broccoli plant, not the little, delicate fronds that are found on the broccoli crowns (though they are still edible).
- Previously, farmers just utilized them for soil cultivation, but now their nutritional value is becoming discovered.
- Similar to kale, broccoli leaves are not exactly novel.
Italians have traditionally cultivated a variant known as spigariello, but unlike broccoli, the leaves of spigariello have always been the prize. Don’t worry if you can’t locate broccoli leaves at your local farmers market; one business is bringing them to the public.
- Even Foxy, which considers greens to be a “magical power food,” has branded their product.” The leaves of broccoli can be cooked similarly to kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, and mustard greens.
- Use them in soups, salads, sandwiches, and even smoothies.
- Here are some other methods to try on your first batch of broccoli leaves.
Braised Replace the collard greens that enliven this meaty meal with broccoli leaves. Sauteed As in Anne Burrell’s recipe, broccoli leaves may be substituted for mustard greens, which are quick, easy, and healthy. Stir-fried Add broccoli leaves to this mixture.
- Steamed Add broccoli leaf to the dish.
- Baked With the addition of broccoli leaves, a one-dish casserole gains a boost of vitamin C and calcium.
- Iri Tannenbaum is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Paris and possesses a Master of Arts in culinary studies from New York University, where she presently teaches as an adjunct professor.
She conducts gourmet walking tours in New York City when her schedule permits, and she is now working on her first book: Turn a New (Crocodile) Leaf
