When Should You Eat Broccoli?? Does it even matter?!

G'Day Folks,

We finally experienced that beautiful Autumn weather we have been waiting for. Which means we have been busy planting loads of winter veg, with some different varieties you may not have tried before.

We planted romanesco cauliflower which looks more like cauliflower in texture and form, romanesco's taste is more like broccoli – mild and nutty with sweeter notes that lend well to savory pairings. An easy way to use it is to roast with olive oil, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

With winter coming let’s give broccoli the stage for a moment.

This powerhouse veggie is a staple and high in many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium.

But eating broccoli too late can mean a tremendous difference in nutrients!

Some veg such as sweet potatoes, squash, even fruit such as tomatoes and berries increase in flavour and become vitamin rich.

This is certainly not the case with broccoli...

One study in the journal Food Chemistry, for instance, found that broccoli could lose up to 70% of its vitamin C and beta-carotene and 50% of its antioxidant activity in just six days.

Another study by a Spanish research team reported that by the time broccoli gets to you it could have lost 80% of its potentially heart-healthy glucosinolates.

So the key is - enjoy broccoli ASAP!

You can eat it raw or cooked. But it's great to know If cooked recent research shows that gentle steaming provides the most health benefits.

All cooking treatments, except steaming, caused significant losses of chlorophyll and vitamin C and significant decreases of total soluble proteins and soluble sugars. Total aliphatic and indole glucosinolates were significantly modified by all cooking treatments but not by steaming. In general, the steaming led to the lowest loss of total glucosinolates, while stir-frying and stir-frying/boiling presented the highest loss.

Tips for steaming broccoli:

Get the steam going! Only then pop them in.
Set your timer for only five to six minutes. Smaller florets of young fresh broccoli may only need five minutes to cook, larger florets of more mature broccoli made need six.

Inspo for serving your steamed broccoli:

Simply a bit of butter,
Pepper and broccoli are a perfect match,
Olive oil and lemon zest,
Lemon and parmesan,
Thyme, garlic salt, lemon juice, olive oil,
Garlic, Lemon Zest and Chili flakes,
Bacon, butter, salt, and pepper, or
Good with toasted slivered almonds or toasted sesame seeds too.

We hope this helps make the broccoli in your veg box a priority and you enjoy it as soon as possible.

Thank YOU for joining us on this epic journey & supporting Your local farmer!