Now that the Purple Sprouting Broccoli in my garden is just about finished, the white variety is just beginning to produce spears ready for picking. The spears of the variety I grow - called "White Eye" - are much bigger and fleshier than their purple cousins. They also have a lot more foliage. I think they remind me of some of the oriental brassicas, like Choi Sum. The stems are at least a centimeter in diameter. Three spears make a generous one-person helping.
Whilst writing about brassicas (again!) I just want to take one more opportunity to show off the Cavolo Nero. The deeply savoyed, blue-grey leaves of the Cavolo Nero, arranged in stylish plume-shaped tufts, make it a prime candidate for the potager.
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| Photo from Summer 2010 |
In my opinion therefore, it earns its position in the ornamental garden twice over - and that's without mentioning how nice it is to eat!
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P.S. My blog was featured yesterday on the website of Dobbie's the garden supplies specialists. You can see it here: Great Gardening Blogs of Britain
Beautiful! I'm letting my white russian kale go to seed so that I can save the seed for the future.
ReplyDeleteThose of you who commented about the recipes should know that they are ones from the Waitrose Kitchen Magazine (April 2011), so it would not be appropriate for me to reproduce them, but of course you could always buy the mag! They will presumably be available on the Waitrose website in due course...
ReplyDeleteI love the Cavolo Nero that is definitely going to be in my garden next year.
ReplyDeleteThe Cavolo Nero does seem very worthwhile. Will be on my list of things to try.
ReplyDeletegorgeous pics of some gorgeous produce. We're only just coming into our planting season here in Kentucky. My hubby planted broccoli recently, and fortunately the 3 inches of rain we got yesterday came down steadily instead of being a "gully-washer," so all is well.
ReplyDeleteWow! Wouldn't that make a great bouquet for a greenie bride!
ReplyDeletegreat blog - congratulations on being featured on Dobbies
ReplyDeleteYou're doing it again giving me broccoli envy!
ReplyDeleteGosh that kale is pretty Mark, I really must get off my bottom and try to grow some. And so the broccoli obsession continues... tell me Mark, first the PSB, now the WE. Where to next?
ReplyDeleteps what's Dobbies?
ReplyDeleteAli; my next adventure in the world of Brassicas is going to be "Brokali" (named after you, I'm sure). I seems to be a hybrid of oriental and european types of broccoli. I have some of it planted out already, and will report on it in due course.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Dobbies is a big garden supplies oufit operating in the UK.
That White Eye broccoli looks amazing and I just love the thick foliage. Honestly, I was not aware that there was a white broccoli...pretty neat.:)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the Dobbies mention - well deserved.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and some smashing photo's :)
Mo
When I had my allotment I planted some nine star perennial - white sprouting broccoli, sadly I never got to see it flower as I lost my allotment plot then, I'd love to grow some again oneday.
ReplyDeleteThese White Eye broccoli do look marvellous. I'd have been ahppy to swap a cake with some of these lovely looking vegetables.
Also big hearted congratulations on the Dobbies acknowledgement, that is great to read.