INCREASE Your Broccoli Harvest | Preservation and Recipe Ideas

Looking back I can't believe how much I've wasted from my garden! This year I'm putting a stop to the madness and harvesting and preserving more than ever from my garden. it's all starting with how I'm changing the way I harvest from my broccoli plants. Broccoli leaves are the new Kale! while maybe not as dense in variety of nutrients that kale had to offer they are abundant and can be used anyway you would kale, spinach or collards. so here's to my continual challenge to myself and you all to get out there and harvest all the edibles in your garden!!
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[@codedesigns9284]

The stems of broccoli, kale, chard are good to freeze, collect, and make into a vegetable broth, along with carrot ends (and skins), onion ends and peels, etc. (Any veg pieces that would be typically cut off and composed). Throw these into a stock pot and boil away! Hope this helps! 😊👍

[@asils4Lisa]

With my mother’s garden we would cook the broccoli leaves like you would collard greens. Hmmm . So good.

[@AquaStevae]

Also if you harvest leaves while it's growing well, you get MORE LEAVES!!!! So it's a great idea. I also eat the stems. I have no idea why everyone cuts off the stems. They are one of the MOST nutritious parts of the plants. All nutrients pass through the stems. Saute them in butter and garlic, then add them to sticky rice, and it's an excellent side dish for any meat.

[@vidajordan9803]

After freezing greens with and without blanching a couple of years I find the blanching whole leaves and chopping them afterward by squishing them into a roll gives them great color and kills any microrganism, tiny survivor bugs, or slugslime that may have survived double washing.I store them into ziplock bags, flatten, and stack flat in the freezer. You can easily break off what you need. One other note that unblanched brasica leaves sometimes crumble (like dry fall leaves) from freezing making their texture yucky to use. I just cleaned my freezer and tossed a bunch of collards sadly. Blanching IS worth the time.Throw your bagged leaves in the frig and do it later....but please think again about blanching.🙋🌿

[@shuvanidev]

Wow, thanks for this! I knew they were edible but have never grown them to try. I love that it uses all of the plant.

[@outdoorsmom2000]

I've been eyeing my broccoli leaves for a while, can't wait to try them! I'm going to try cooking them up like I do with Chard/kale.

[@sues6847]

I didn't know broccoli leaves were even edible. Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@1870s]

You are so welcome

[@sandyclaus2729]

WoW!!! Who'd thunk it! Thanks so much for all the info and ideas. You rock!!!

[@nikkilyne36]

I love living traditions homestead.ive been watching and following there channel for a long time.

[@terrisutton5559]

I miss having our garden, I hope to have one again one day. I haven't been able to find broccoli greens for sale at the farmer's market or stores. When I had our garden and access to broccoli leaves, I made beef & broccoli rolls...similar to cabbage rolls, with rice, hamburger and broccoli florettes, but used bottled sweet & sour sauce and a little water for the glaze before baking. I bet it would be delicious using either your canned ground beef or canned chicken.

[@1870s]

Oh yummy! I'll see if I can find a recipe

[@starlightengramA]

Thank you for some excellent home kitchen and gardening tips! You'll have some mighty chickens if you keep them fed with the chopped stems from the greens garden! The fast chop method I use for large leaves is simpler than rolling (which I used to do). I didn't remove the heavy leaf vein. I stacked 5 to 10 big leaves on top of each other flat. I put them on a large cutting surface, and use a 10" to 12" cook's knife. I turn the stack so the line of cut is about a 15 degree angle crossing the center veins on the leaves. Thus I French cut to julienne the leaves. If they are too long strips, then I simply cross cut once to half or twice to third the greens. Voila! Fast chops from garden to steamer in no time!

[@1870s]

thanks for the tips

[@charleewesterman5150]

Hi Just checking out your process for canning and thought I would let you know that I often make a slaw out of broccoli, collard and cabbage leaves. Tonight I decided to add in an apple and it was really good. BTW I'm in Florida. We are just getting a good harvest.

[@catherinewalker1804]

Good info! Never imagined they could be used that way! Thanks, Catherine from Canada 🇨🇦

[@1870s]

Exciting huh!

[@catherinewalker1804]

That 1870's Homestead you bet!!💞

[@dberch643]

You can also take just about any plant greens, dehydrate them and make your own mixed greens for cooking to add nutrients or powder them for your own smoothie green powder. No waste and very healthy!

[@cynthiafisher9907]

I tried eating my broccoli leaves last year and they were good until it started getting hotter. I don’t really have a summer garden this year, but I may do it in the fall. Thanks for sharing these tips!

[@TeekiDoll]

I make a "green" soup, well that is what I call it. it is so nice on cold winter days...also use thin slice in egg rolls. broccoli stalks graded for cole slaw is tasty also

[@1870s]

Thanks for sharing more ideas!

[@TheLeisamarie]

We're at the in between season, greens are gone to seed and summer crops not producing yet. I will be trying this method next go round! Thanks for sharing!!

[@1870s]

You are welcome, I'm almost there myself. Spinach is starting to bolt

[@thetreeoflifegardener4360]

I am not sure if you knew this or not but the leaves from your strawberry plants can also be used. They have a ton of health benefits, including purifying the blood. The most common usage is in tea.

[@1870s]

I did just learn that and I'm excited same with young raspberry leaves

[@Honey-_bee]

I am learning to use more and more green leaves that I normally threw away. I hate to think of how much I wasted. Now that I eat healthy I’m looking for more greens. Beet leafs are amazing sauted with onion. Great info Rachel. Ty

[@1870s]

I know but it's great that we are continually improving as stewards of our own food

[@alexscrubs1]

We do them in the instant pot for 30 minutes with some bacon and seasonings. Its so yummy. We grind the stems and put it in our green powder mix

[@denisebrady6858]

I cannot grow broccoli or cauliflower for some reason but my cabbages this year are going insane so I have been taking some of their leaves & using them - just really tasty & I am going to blanch & try freezing as well. Cheers Denise- Australia

[@1870s]

Awesome once my cabbages are bigger I hope to do that too

[@katiew8511]

I use the c-hold, I think it’s called, to strip the leaves off the stalks. But I do blanch first for storage, so same amount in the end probably. I’m in the south, so I just use broccoli or cauliflower leaves like I would collard greens.

[@1870s]

Awesome 👍

[@carolparrish194]

I tried the broccoli leaves and found them to have a strong flavor. I think they would be good mixed with kale or other greens when cooking. There is a man on youtube who uses broccoli leaves in his smoothies for health benefits.

[@christinesimmons3313]

You can eat the leaves from your sweet potato plants too! You can take about a third of the leaves without lessening your harvest. Use them like spinach, I have dehydrated them to preserve them. Better lightly cooked than raw.

[@carolynmoody9460]

This is great info..thank you for posting.. Blessings

[@1870s]

You are welcome

[@HeidiCancelleri]

I am planning to dehydrate them and pulverize them and put them in various soups or protein powders

[@Vicki-sq4jw]

Have you considered also using the Brussels sprout tops? They are delicious. Also I wad up a bunch of leaves and roll them up, then slice them, if I did them one at a time I'd be doing it till next gardening time. Just my two cents.

[@fallenangelwi25]

Thank you for teaching me something new about broccoli!!!! You can also dry and use as soup filler or use them in vegetable broth as well.

[@1870s]

Yes!

[@LindaYoung-nw4xl]

I love it in a stir fry.

[@dixieboy5689]

Another great video. This was good. Can we all chip in and get you a bigger cutting board??

[@sues6847]

I've been spending a lot of time learning about foraging. I no longer worry that my family will be hungry in the years to come. We can make due at this house and our future homestead. So many ppl consider wild plants with high nutritional value weeds. It's sad because if things get worse ppl may be overlooking the good food that could help them to survive hard times.

[@1870s]

Awesome 👍

[@jamjar5716]

A rule of thumb I go by is that if grocery store produce sections haven't cut it off then it is edible.

[@pctmax780]

Grocery stores cut some greens off that are edible. Sometime they cut the beet greens off, they are delicious. Carrot tops are also cut off and they make great pesto. It is recommended not to use commercially grown carrot tops because they are loaded with pesticides (probably why they cut them off). I only use ones I grow myself.

[@sueantonich5455]

Thanks for this information I will give it a try!

[@1870s]

Your welcome hope you enjoy it

[@theheritagehousesc]

I make spinach dip or quiche with spinach and it’s delish.

[@1870s]

Love them both, going to try our hand at spinach pie this week but using the broccoli leaves instead. I have about 3 gallons now 😆

[@michellemc4175]

Rolling leaves/slicing is called chiffonnade.

[@jimtammybuckhannon9688]

I have never considered this either!

[@Lindysik]

💯Organic

[@littlesquirrel5007]

Broccoli is one crop that I struggle with. I would like to say I'm an extremely experienced gardener, but I have never been successful with broccoli. Some years it's out of my control we had a tree fall on the broccoli but a lot of years it just goes to seed. I spend all this time growing it it's been under Lights, I Harden It Off, but then it goes directly to seed. I've tried different varieties I tried different locations in my yard I just cannot grow broccoli which is a shame because honestly I love broccoli and my children love it too. One year I was halfway successful with the starts I got at the nursery oh, but they were not that impressive to be honest the heads were small. I see people grow this big beautiful Bountiful broccoli and I just am unable to do it.

[@1870s]

I've never gotten decent size heads either. I know Luke from MI Gardener recommends it more for a fall crop so it's less likely to bolt as the temps are decreasing

[@conniemcgehee2851]

it is a cool season crop. in california, we plant in the fall

[@Sabbathissaturday]

I plant mine in the fall and same problem as Shannon. 😢

[@PlowAndPantryHomestead]

I prefer broccoli leaves for wraps, instead of lettuce wraps.

[@1870s]

I will try it with the next ones I harvest

[@pansyvaughan5624]

I follow Kevin & Sarah also

[@SuperKingslaw]

Spinach Pie Recipe? Please?

[@1870s]

Will do a video on it this fall or winter.

[@EJNilsson]

May I ask, do you not blanch before freezing? If I remember correctly, Sarah blanched her greens. Do these turn out ok without blanching?

[@1870s]

I don't, honestly I enjoy how easily they crumble out of the bag when freezing fresh. If you want your leaves to hold together definitely blanch and pat dry first

[@Ash-rc8nd]

From the farm before cutting, did you wash them?!

[@1870s]

Yes

[@glennterrebonne8600]

Do you the leaves with onions and seasoning meat like ham

[@glennterrebonne8600]

I want to say smothered

[@_thatchickchris8246]

Do you blanch before storing it or no? I’m all for saving that step if possible lol.

[@1870s]

Never! Not for anything, I probably should but I've never had any issue by not doing it and it saves me do much time

[@_thatchickchris8246]

Oh good! I’m not a blancher either. I lay whatever I want to freeze on a flat cookie sheet. Set in the freezer till frozen then vacuum seal it. Never had an issue.

[@brandonlamontcooper8141]

WOW! Look how wonderfully she has aged...🌱☕🐇🕊️🧚😍 What a magnificent woman..

[@judylindsey9225]

What is spinach pie

[@1870s]

Heaven in a flaky dough 🥰

[@Brad-99]

Move over cabbage hello Broccoli 🥦🥬🥬rolls lol