Have you eaten the leaves from broccoli?

[dconklin]

I recently met somebody who is a really nice lady in town here. I actually got into conversation with her originally about her flower garden she has in the front of her house. We were talking for quite a while and she showed me her veggie garden. She said that she takes the leaves off of the broccoli plants and cooks them along with the broccoli. I hadn't heard of this before, but she said even the kids love it. She said it is like eating spinach only tastes a little better.

I never realized that you could eat the leaves from broccoli and they never looked appetizing before, but this sounds like something worth trying! Have you ever eaten the leaves from broccoli before?

 

[claudine]

Yes. Sometimes, when I cook broccoli, a leave a few small leaves on it and if I'm too lazy to take them off, I eat them In my opinion they taste like the rest of the vegeable, I like them.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I always eat the leaves from both broccoli and cauliflower. They are almost like a cabbage leaf, and very tasty. I don't like them raw, although they would be great in coleslaw, I think, just not good to try and chew up whole unless they are cooked. When I am making stir fry and adding broccoli , then I chop up the tougher bottom pieces and the leaves and use everything.
I have read that you can also eat the leaves from peas and beans, but I have not tried that yet. It makes sense to me that they would be edible since I often sprout bean sprouts to use in salads and stir fry .

 

[ChanellG]

I have never eaten the leaves from broccoli, but I have eaten the leaves from snow peas before. A friend told me about them and we went to a Chinese restaurant here that serves them. It's a bit like eating spinach, though it was so long ago I can't say what they tasted like. I remember liking them though and I'd eat them again.

 

[blueeyes]

I have never eaten the leaves from broccoli or cauliflower, mainly because I never thought about it. I do love both vegetables and will try a bit of the leaves next time.I'm all for not wasting any part of the plant if I can help it. Thanks for the info.

 

[Shellyann36]

I have never done this but I will most certainly try it now. I wonder why she would go through the trouble of picking the leaves off if she is going to cook it all together? I will have to try it.

 

[ACSAPA]

I always eat the leaves from both broccoli and cauliflower. They are almost like a cabbage leaf, and very tasty. I don't like them raw, although they would be great in coleslaw, I think, just not good to try and chew up whole unless they are cooked. When I am making stir fry and adding broccoli , then I chop up the tougher bottom pieces and the leaves and use everything.
I have read that you can also eat the leaves from peas and beans, but I have not tried that yet. It makes sense to me that they would be edible since I often sprout bean sprouts to use in salads and stir fry .

Agreed, when I'm making stir fry, I use every part of the broccoli. When it's cooked in the wok with everything else, it tastes fine so I don't see any reason to waste the leaves or the stem.

 

[Steve Denning]

We always eat the leaves from broccoli and cauliflower. Cook them like you would a cabbage, or use them raw in a salad. I find they go great in a coleslaw, especially if you use different coloured cabbage leaves as well. Keeping some on the flower is also good and looks good on the plate as well.

 

[Jewell]

We eat the whole plant; leaves, stalks, and flowers. Yumm. Our local markets sell all parts too. Love, love the slaw mixes with the shredded stalks of broccoli, cauliflower and kale for slaw.

 

[headfullofbees]

I also cut the main veins from cauliflower leaves and stir-fry them.
Tasty, juicy, crunchy, nutricious.

 

[Steve Denning]

Now that is a good idea, headfullofbees. I'm going to give it a go!

 

[headfullofbees]

Now that is a good idea, headfullofbees. I'm going to give it a go!

I slice them, usually into three, longways, first.

 

[lukeout007]

I wasn't aware you could eat the leaves. I know that you can eat the tops of carrots and beets and things like that. I might have to try broccoli/cauliflower leaves though.

 

[dconklin]

I have never eaten the leaves from broccoli or cauliflower, mainly because I never thought about it. I do love both vegetables and will try a bit of the leaves next time.I'm all for not wasting any part of the plant if I can help it. Thanks for the info.

I never thought about it either, I didn't realize that you could eat them until she was telling me. I will have to grow broccoli next year to try it tho. Quite often the broccoli in the store and local markets already has most of the leaves off. I never realized how big the plants got either until she showed me her plants!

 

[Steve Denning]

I never realized how big the plants got either until she showed me her plants!

Is this big enough?