Grow Your Best Broccoli

Is broccoli America’s favorite vegetable? It just might be, and there are some good reasons why. [Food Gardening Network Preview]( March 28, 2022  [Grow Your Own Broccoli]( Is broccoli America’s favorite vegetable? It just might be, and there are some good reasons why. [Broccoli] Gain full access to this premium collection—and an entire Library of food gardening advice—with a [Charter Gold Membership in Food Gardening Network!]( Dear Gardener, It may come as a surprise, given that it’s often the punchline of vegetable jokes, but broccoli is officially America’s favorite vegetable, according to a 2020 survey of all 50 states. Of course, if you’ve had garden-fresh broccoli, this might not be a surprise. Eat it raw, steamed, in a stir-fry, grilled or roasted. Add it to mac and cheese, top your baked potato with it, or enjoy it in a salad. Broccoli is great anywhere! Broccoli is also super nutritious. Did you know that a half cup of broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange? It contains calcium and iron, 7% of your daily recommended potassium, and 6% of your daily recommended protein. Plus, broccoli has absolutely zero saturated fat or cholesterol. Cool, right? It’s no wonder broccoli is 940% more popular than it was 25 years ago. It doesn’t hurt that broccoli can grow in the ground in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 2 to 11. You can grow broccoli outdoors in the spring for early summer harvest—this cold weather crop flags under the hot summer sun. But plant again in late summer and, in many areas, you’ll be harvesting and enjoying broccoli until winter approaches. Those all sound like good reasons to me for growing broccoli at home. We’ll take a little sneak peek at some of the details below, but if you really want to dive into all the different varieties of broccoli and the best ways to plant and grow this cruciferous delight, be sure to look through The Broccoli Collection. [Food Gardening Network Charter Gold Membership Special Offer—Just $10 for an Entire Year! UPGRADE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY! Become a Charter Gold Member today and get the Food Gardening Magazine and Library, Premium Collections, and Recipes! [Gold Membership] Check out all that this new food gardening club has to offer you today! YES, SIGN ME UP NOW FOR JUST $10!]( Grow Your Own Broccoli is happiest with plenty of sunshine, well-drained soil, and mild temperatures. Aside from that, it doesn’t take much. Most gardeners start their broccoli from seed, and you can usually plant it directly in the ground, although in especially cold areas, you can start seeds indoors. It gets even easier, though. If you have some harvested broccoli that you love, the plant will also grow well from cuttings! Just take a regular stalk of broccoli and place it in a container of water, making sure the head is not submerged. Place it in a sunny windowsill, occasionally mist the top of the stalk, and before long you’ll see roots and leaves developing. Once that happens, just take it to the garden and plant it. Bear in mind, of course, that some cultivars work better than others in certain regions. For example, Destiny Broccoli is best suited for the warmer temperatures of Hardiness Zones 7 to 11. Burgundy Sprouting Broccoli, on the other hand, does best in zones 3 to 9. It’s also a quite gorgeous plant and matures in just 37 days. Be sure to read about growing different types and varieties of broccoli in The Broccoli Collection. Cream of Broccoli Soup One of my favorite recipes in The Broccoli Collection is for Cream of Broccoli Soup. This classic dish is part elegance and part comfort food and so easy to make at home. Butter, onion, celery, broth, broccoli, flour, and milk is all you need. Start by sautéeing your onion and celery in butter, then add broccoli and broth. Let that simmer for about 10 minutes and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it’s smooth. In a separate saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour, then add your milk. Stir this until it is thick and bubbly then add it to your pureed soup. Season with pepper and serve! It’s one of those meals that’s so simple, but tastes so amazing! You can get the full recipe for this, along with five more recipes featuring garden fresh broccoli in The Broccoli Collection, which is yours when you join The Food Gardening Network. [Food Gardening Network Charter Gold Membership Special Offer—Just $10 for an Entire Year! UPGRADE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY! Become a Charter Gold Member today and get the Food Gardening Magazine and Library, Premium Collections, and Recipes! [Gold Membership] Check out all that this new food gardening club has to offer you today! 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