A Warm January So Far

A look at the 3-day forecast reveals that it's been unseasonably warm in our neck of the woods:

We have only lit the fireplace one night so far this winter.  I'm sure we'll get cooler weather before all is said and done, but the warm weather is causing the grass and plants to grow quickly.  Take, for instance, the broccoli.  The hotter than normal weather has caused the broccoli to grow quicker than normal.  I wasn't watching it as closely as I should have and I almost let the first big head of broccoli flower.  Had I not found it and waited one more day, it would be covered in yellow blooms and the honeybees would've been all over it.

When the head begins to spread apart like you see, you've let it go too long.  It'll still be fine for eating, but I would have liked to pick this one 3 days ago.  It's still a nice head.  I think Tricia was going to make a quiche with this and some kale in the near future.

After you harvest a big head of broccoli like this, it's not over.  The plant is desirous of producing seeds, so it will send forth a multitude of florets off every shoot of the plant.  If you're diligent and pick the florets every day, I think that you can harvest more broccoli from the little florets than you get from the big head of broccoli.  I haven't weighed the florets in comparison with the weight of the head to confidently say this, but I'm sure that's the case.

We'll be eating lots of broccoli as well as blanching and freezing it over the next month.  Right behind this will be the cabbage, carrot, and cauliflower harvest.  The warm weather will cause everything to ripen quicker this year, so I'll have to keep a close eye on things so as not to allow the crops to over-ripen.