My Broccoli is Blooming!

Created on 5/29/2009

It’s a transition time in my garden. It was bound to happen. My enthusiasm for planting all the cool season things I love has left me in a quandary. Where do the peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash go?

The broccoli, arugula, dandelion greens, peas, mustard greens, lettuce and Asian greens are beautiful now. The ‘Sugar Ann’ snap peas never make it into the house. So sweet and crunchy, I nibble them off the vine whenever I am in the garden. Sometimes, I just run out for no other reason but to eat peas.

This is what it’s like to have a seasonal kitchen garden. Gardening is a process. It’s not plant one time and harvest one time. That mindset probably came from watching the corn or soybean farmers around us. We have it ingrained that it should be that simple. But the reality is juggling the small tasting kitchen garden is sometimes deliciously confusing. Some difficult decisions need to be made. Which perfectly good cool season edibles do I pull up to make room for the summer crops? (We will visit this dilemma at the end of summer in reverse.)

I may have exaggerated on the broccoli looking beautiful. The truth is I should have harvested those tight green immature flower buds last week. We had a couple of weeks of hot weather and now the broccoli is blooming. Beautiful yellow flowers have appeared, and the tight globe has expanded. The arugula isn’t looking so good either. It has bolted as well. Stalks with white flowers have appeared in the center of each arugula plant. I didn’t know arugula had flowers.

So here is my plan. I am harvesting all of the broccoli today. The broccoli- edible yellow flowers, stems and all is perfect for a quick whirl with some good olive oil in a skillet. I’ll also add some garlic. Then serve it with good pasta. Always, a staple here. (You can’t get blooming broccoli at any fancy restaurant, it’s really a glorious thing, and sweet. Every part of this homegrown broccoli is tasty.)

I am also picking one last arugula salad. I’ll combine the twangy arugula with other lettuces and spicy mustard leaves. Some raw yellow broccoli flowers will be good too.

To harvest broccoli cut the central stem with a sharp knife. Headless broccoli plants look rather odd, but they can be left in the garden to produce side shoots of broccoli florets.

The peas, mustard, dandelion greens, and Asian greens can stay. I’ll remove the broccoli and the arugula. I have some hot pepper plants that need planted.