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    How to Plant and Grow Broccoli

    Broccoli ready for harvest

    Broccoli is an edible flower. Broccoli is a cool-season crop. Grow broccoli so that it comes to harvest when temperatures average no more than 75°F (23°C) each day. Broccoli heads are clusters of tightly packed flower buds waiting to open. Broccoli is a hardy biennial, grown as an annual. It is a member of the cabbage […] More

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    Artichokes and Mint Side Salad

    Artichoke salad large

    Thin sliced baby artichoke hearts tossed with thin sliced mint leaves, a bit of chopped garlic, fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese makes a tasty side salad. Baby artichokes are plentiful in spring. Artichokes are actually flower buds. You want to pick them while they are still tightly […] More

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    How to Prepare Cauliflower

    cauliflower salad

    The perfect thing about cauliflower is that the size of the head is no indicator of quality. Big heads or small snack-sized heads–as long as they are fresh–will be equally tasty. Cauliflower is best harvested in late spring or fall when temperatures are moderate to cool. Kitchen Helpers from Amazon: Fresh cauliflower should taste mildly […] More

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    How to Prepare and Cook Broccoli

    Steamed broccoli

    Just out of the garden, soak broccoli for about 10 minutes in salty water. This ensures any tiny bugs still hiding out will be dispatched. Then I rinse each flower head under cold running water. You’ll want to cut away the tough lower stalk leaving just 3 inches or so below the base of the […] More

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    How to Cook and Serve Artichokes

    Artichoke at table1

    There are two harvest seasons for artichokes: a short one in early autumn and the main artichoke harvest from early spring to late spring. How to Choose an Artichoke Select artichokes that have crisp, tightly packed or closed leaves that are deep green in color. The leaves of a fresh artichoke will squeak when they are pressed […] More

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    Broccoli Raab and Rapini Cooked and Served

    Broccoli raab sauteed with

    Broccoli raab and rapini are not synonymous, but when it comes to recipes they practically are. Broccoli raab [rob] has long, thin rich-green stems (6-9 inches/18-23 cm long) topped with scattered clusters of broccoli-like florets. The flavor is nutty and both pungent and zesty. Rapini [rah-PEE-nee] is similar to broccoli raab but with fewer florets […] More