Waste Not, Want Not

The photo below evidences the fact that I didn't move fast enough.  I didn't take action in time and the broccoli flowered and became inedible.  It was wasted. Broccoli is interesting in that once the primary head is harvested, the plant sends out little florets of broccoli all over the place.  The plant's goal is to flower and go to seed, thus creating a way to reproduce itself many times over, long after the plant has died. God created humans and told them to "be fruitful and multiply."  Plants are no different.

The trouble with the yellow flowers on the broccoli is that it is too late to enjoy. Broccoli is delicious, but once it has begun to flower, it becomes bitter and not as tender and delicious.  It happens very quickly.

Broccoli flowers

Fortunately, that's the only one that 'got away.'  After harvesting the large head off of the broccoli, like clockwork, we're out walking down the rows, plucking the little florets, or off-shoots of broccoli. Below you can see where the original big head of broccoli was snipped off and you can see a couple of florets that grew to the side, providing an opportunity for a second harvest.

Smaller florets growing after the large head has been harvested

These little florets are tender and they are easy to simply snip off with a quick snap between your thumb and fore finger.  I would think that in the large fields of commercially grown broccoli, it is probably not economical to go back for a second harvest and all the smaller florets are wasted. We try to not waste any broccoli florets, knowing that the broccoli will continue to produce smaller florets that we can enjoy if we harvest them each day.  

Florets

It's not an enormous amount of broccoli compared to the quantity you get off of the main broccoli head, but it's the perfect amount for us.  Here's what we got yesterday and enjoyed for lunch today.

The second harvest

Cauliflower, although it is from the same brassica family as the broccoli, doesn't send out side shoots once the main head is harvested.  Broccoli, however, provides more for you to enjoy, if you are diligent.  If you don't waste, you won't be found wanting and I'll make sure from now on that we won't see yellow flowers on the broccoli row.