General Description/History

• The plant forms a tight head of flowers
• Blue/green buds
• Thick, fleshy, green stalks
• Related to the cauliflower.

Choose broccoli with tight compact heads and blue/green in colour. Avoid broccoli with open or yellowed flowers.

To retain maximum flavour and nutrition, only lightly cook broccoli. Broccoli sprigs are lovely served with a dip, but the sprigs should be dipped into boiling water for approximately thirty seconds to change the blue-green colour to a rich green colour and then cooled before serving. Broccoli can be steamed, boiled or stir-fried.

Whichever method of preparation you choose, be sure not to overcook, as broccoli is at its best when served tender crisp. Try using raw in salads. Add to your favourite soup, casserole or stir-fry.

Broccoli is a cool climate crop. It grows best in sandy soils during autumn and winter and is adaptable to all climates with a cool winter. Once young heads have formed regular irrigation is required.

Broccoli is a comparatively young vegetable which was first introduced to England in the 18th Century. It was originally known as Italian asparagus and progressed slowly to other countries. It belongs to the brassica family, along with cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts.

The name broccoli comes from the Italian word “brocco” meaning arm or branch and numerous forms of wild broccoli can be found along the coastline of the Mediterranean sea.

Nutritional Value

An excellent source of vitamins A and C. A very good source of folacin and vitamin E, and a useful source of riboflavin. 100kJ/100g.

Storage/Handling

0°C and 90 -100% relative humidity.

Consumer Storage: Store in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper for a short time.

Interesting Facts and Myths?

Although they look very different, cabbage, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are all the same species of plant. The differences between these plants are the results of thousands of years of human cultivation and selective propagation.

Broccoli was developed some 2,500 years ago on the island of Cyprus.

Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers.

Season: 

Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea, Italica Botrytis Group (Cruciferae)

Alternative Names: Chinese kale, White flowering broccoli, Gai Lan

Availablity: 

Growing Areas: 

QLD – Darling Downs, Lockyer Valley, Stanthorpe, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba
NSW – Bathurst, Camden, Central Coast, Cowra, Dareton, Forbes, Gosford, Griffith, Hunter Valley, Mudgee, Naro, Sydney Basin, Windsor
VIC – Bairnsdale, Melbourne Metropolitan Area, Werribee
TAS – North West
SA – Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Plains, Riverina
WA – Perth Metropolitan Outer Areas
NT – Katherine