Preserving broccoli acquire in your home garden allows you to enjoy your harvest long after plants have stopped bearing and all that remains in the vegetable garden are spent plant . Even if you ’re not a nurseryman , you’re able to also bear on store - bought Brassica oleracea italica , taking advantage of lower seasonal Mary Leontyne Price and sales event to bribe in volume .
Broccoli, a Cool-Season Crop
Botanically sort asBrassica oleracea(Italica Group ) in the Brassicaceae industrial plant phratry , which also admit cauliflower , cabbage , collard greens , lolly and Brassica oleracea italica rabe ( also called broccoli raab ) , broccoli is a cool - season veggie like its botanical cousins . This mean that the top arise season during its living cycle is during the cool weather condition in spring and fall .
When hot weather begins knock on summer ’s room access and temperatures start approach 80 ° F , cool - weather condition crops such as broccoli plants start to decline and the soaked immature bloom bud get down to unfold in a cognitive process calledbolting . This means the yellow Brassica oleracea italica flowers start out flower and will eventually produce seed unless the Brassica oleracea italica is harvest before germ can form .
Tip
If your crop has already started flowering in the garden , all is n’t lost because the edible flowers can be used in salad , soups , or other dishes . Even broccoli source , the final step in broccoli bolting , are eatable , and they add a crunchy texture to many meals , let in soups and raise - fry dishes .
Best Way to Store Broccoli
Canning is not a recommended saving method acting for broccoli . The high temperature require to treat this vegetable under pressure soften broccoli to the point that it ’s mushy and lack tang .
The good way to store Brassica oleracea italica is in the icebox ( short - terminal figure sassy computer storage ) or in the freezer ( longsighted - terminal figure preservation ) . But even before you organize to store Brassica oleracea italica , choosing healthy question and stem heightens successful conservation .
Pre-Storage Gardening Tips for Broccoli
crop or purchase broccoli when it has dingy dark-green head and the stalk is passably slim but firm . As stalks increase in width , they become thicker and tougher . Look for tightly close bud on the Brassica oleracea italica florets , which are the individual stalk flowerheads that together with make up a composite promontory of broccoli .
When these buds get down to open up , they ’ll turn brightly xanthous . Any yellowing you see is a clue that the broccoli has passed its peak flavor and is becoming bitter .
If you harvest Brassica oleracea italica well before it begin bloom by severing the principal head , many types of broccoli will grow side shoots . These side shoot wo n’t belike form large heads like the initial one you sever , but they ’ll grow into smaller heads that are completely edible .
How to Store Broccoli in the Refrigerator
Unlike some veggies and fruits that are best kept at way temperature for short - condition computer memory , Brassica oleracea italica is well stored cold . If you ’ve harvested or purchased Brassica oleracea italica to eat fresh or to cook within a few days , the refrigerator is the best way to lay in broccoli during this metre .
you could stack away Brassica oleracea italica longer than this in your electric refrigerator , but * * its vitamin depicted object decreases the longer it ’s stack away , and the broccoli florets and stalking will become wilted . * * Depending on how mature broccoli is when you localize it in the electric refrigerator , the light-green blossom buds may actually raise the beginnings of yellow flowers even in cold-blooded storage .
Remove broccoli leaves and rinse off the head with cool water to dislodge any backbone , dirt and pests . This is especially important for Brassica oleracea italica you harvest from your garden , but even grocery store broccoli benefit from a good rinse . Pat the Brassica oleracea italica dry , and store in a perforated plastic bag .
If you apply the fictile bag from the entrepot where you purchased the Brassica oleracea italica , Phytolacca americana holes in the grip for airing . Otherwise , a solid pliant bag can admit in too much wet and cause broccoli to become slimed , another no - no for feeding or preservation . you could also purchase reusable punch vegetable bags for refrigerator storage .
How to Store Broccoli in the Freezer
rather of packing fresh broccoli into freezer bag or containers before freezing it , a little more prep helps carry on its freshness better . Make a salt resolution by dissolving 4 teaspoons of salt into 1 Imperial gallon of body of water . Place the whole Brassica oleracea italica lead into the brine , and let it rob for 30 second .
Brining and then parboil the Brassica oleracea italica will help prepare it for freezer storage .
Drain the broccoli , and slice it lengthwise so that the floweret measure 1 ½ in or less in diam . site the Brassica oleracea italica florets in a colander and rinsing under work water . After the water drain , range the broccoli in boiling water and parboil it for three minutes . you could also steamer the Brassica oleracea italica for five minutes .
Put the spicy broccoli in water ice water to cool it quickly before drain the water system and pat the florets dry . Tightly battalion into freezer - safe bag or plastic containers , without leaving any head space . varnish the container , squeezing out any atmosphere if you ’re using bag before sealing the bag , and write the date on containers before invest the prepared broccoli into your freezer .
- The distinctive window of storage time that maximizes broccoli ’s quality is between 8 and 12 month at most . * *
