Today’s veg news spotlights beautiful broccoli. A staple in most baskets, it is a somewhat tricky and sensitive crop to grow, needing just the right balance of soil alkalinity, water and sunshine, and disliking heat and dryness, much like the summer we’ve just had! Despite these tricky conditions this year, we’ve been lucky to receive a wonderful supply of broccoli from our UK growers.
Broccoli was first cultivated by Italian farmers over two thousand years ago. Its name comes from the Italian word broccolo, meaning ‘the flowering crest of a cabbage’. It was so highly regarded among the ancient Romans that Drusus Caesar, son of Emperor Tiberius, reportedly ate nothing but broccoli for an entire month.
In more recent history, at a news conference in 1990, President George Bush famously announced: “I do not like broccoli… and I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!”
But we happen to think this nutritious brassica is incredibly delicious and versatile. Chopped finely into a salad, lightly steamed, blended into a creamy béchamel for alfredo or lasagna, or even dressed simply in a vinaigrette.
This week we have beautiful green Calabrese and Red Lion broccoli from John, Rachel and the team at Newfields Organics in Fadmoor. Red Lion broccoli is a very old, somewhat forgotten variety. Thanks to growers like John at Newfields, this wonderful heritage variety is finding its way back onto grocery shelves.
Finally, we’re getting some stunning bouquets of purple sprouting broccoli from Duncan and the team at Lyncroft Farm. As delicious as it looks, it is a real showstopper and not to be missed this week.
