englishnewsletter10.1.10

Hi everyone,

It has been two weeks now that harvestable broccoli has been surprising me. It is important to pick this broccoli before its blossoms open and so we have done so. We are always happy to add it to our boxes.

Accordingly, this week's subject is broccoli (scientific name: Brassica oleracea Italica).

Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family along with cauliflower (which has a similar scientific name - Brassica oleracea Botrytis), kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, kale and collards. There must be more that I do not know of. All of these variations were developed from the wild cabbage plant by generations of patient artificial selection.

The mother of them all

Broccoli leaves contain a large amount of iron, calcium and vitamins A and C. In the past, these leaves were collected in the wild and served as an important nutritional supplement in times of distress - such as in Jerusalem when it was under siege and in the substandard living conditions of African slaves in the U.S. Both the leaves and the stems are good to eat. If the stems are too hard, they can be peeled. These leaves are now increasing in popularity and are often served in gourmet restaurants.

Broccoli probably originated in Italy, actually Rome, as the name implies. Brocco in Italian means branch or arm, which describes the shape of a broccoli plant - one or more pillars or columns of blossoms in the shape of a branch or branches of a tree.

Broccoli appears in "Afisios, the Roman"'s recipe book, which is the oldest cookbook known, written some two thousand years ago. Slightly later, during the reign of Emperor Nero (the leek lover, remember him?), Pliny the Elder mentions broccoli in his 37 volume encyclopedia of "Natural History" (Historia naturalis).

For some reason, it seems that broccoli did not exit Italy until 1,500 years later when it arrived in France. From there it came to England as an ornamental plant (not considered edible) and from there was brought to the U.S. by the amateur gardener and President Thomas Jefferson. Broccoli gained popularity in the U.S. only in the 20th century, most likely as a result of its high nutritional value. It arrived to Israel only in the 1980's as a processed food. It could be found only frozen in plastic bags in the frozen foods department of the supermarket.
My father told me recently that in the early '80s, when we lived in a moshav in the Galilee, fresh broccoli was considered a delicacy in our country. There was one farmer near us who grew broccoli and all of his produce was sold directly to gourmet restaurants and 5 star luxury hotels in Haifa.

This is me picking last week's broccoli
Nutritional properties of broccoli:
A cup of broccoli has only 43 calories. That same cup contains approximately 200% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C, almost double the amount in oranges (which are considered high in vitamin C), 3 times as much as in spinach and 9 times more than in tomatoes!
Broccoli also has large amounts of vitamin A, calcium, folic acid, dietary fiber, manganese, the amino acid tryptophan, potassium, and vitamin B6.
Broccoli is rich in folic acid, which is essential during pregnancy, which helps regulate the metabolism and helps absorb the iron that is also found abundantly in broccoli (how convenient and genius that they are packaged together) .
Of course, in broccoli sprouts and the sprouts of its siblings the amount of minerals, amino acids and vitamins is multiplied manyfold and is also accompanied by an abundance of enzymes.
Much research has indicated that consuming broccoli helps prevent cancer. The whole Brassica oleracea family is rich with antioxidants that help the process of "suicide" by pre-cancerous cells in the body.
Broccoli is known as anti-inflammatory and is used in relieving arthritis.
Chinese medicine believes that broccoli is good for the eyes (western studies also show that it helps prevent cataracts), liver and lungs.

Broccoli in politics:
In 1990, President George Bush the father was in his presidential plane AIR FORCE 1. During the flight, a presidential lunch was served which included broccoli. Bush ate his meal, but left the broccoli on his plate. He explained and said (something like this, it's been reported and translated many times): "I hate broccoli. My mother used to force me to eat broccoli. I am now number one in the world and I do not have to eat broccoli ever again! "
When he returned to the White House he received a shipment of approximately 10,000 kg of broccoli from the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Growers, as a sign of protest. His wife, Barbara, the first lady, said she was actually very fond of broccoli.
And here in the garden:

All of the different members of the Brassica oleracea family plants can fertilize each other. Fertilization in this family is done by bees. One can imagine, similar to the pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae) that are also grown in the garden, all kinds of interesting combinations that can be formed - maybe a cabbage on a broccoli stem, a pillar of Brussel sprouts with tiny buds of cauliflower, etc.

This easy fertilization is also a problem if you wish to provide seeds for subsequent planting. If a plant reaches the stage of flowering and you wish to save its seeds, you must keep a distance both between the different family members and between the sexes, which in small gardens is very difficult. This is not a problem for us as we (you) eat everything we grow - the pillar is harvested before the flowers open and the seeds develop, We also save time by starting our plants by purchasing tiny seedlings from an organic nursery.

The most harmful pest of the Brassica oleracea family that we encounter in the garden is aphids. Lots and lots of tiny green creatures, the same color as broccoli. Also, the cabbage white larvae love to eat this family when it's still young, and how much these larvae eat is amazing, Because we are super-organic and do not use even organic materials permitted for use according to the accepted organic standard, we always plant cilantro and garlic in between the plants because these creatures do not like it and are repelled. In addition, it is very important to ensure that beds with members of this family will not be adjacent to each other, in order to try to minimize the extent of any infestation that may occur.

The Brassica oleracea family is very sensitive to heat and in the summer the plants will not develop a blossom pole, which prevents broccoli and cauliflower from being summer crops. Cabbage and kohlrabi are a little less sensitive so they can be more easily found all year. Nowadays, of course, most vegetables can be grown in controlled environments .... We, of course, grow everything in an open field, according to season and that is the way organic should be - simply natural.

Good evening, have a good week and soon a good month,

Bye, Maggie

Our expectation list for this week:

Regular boxes:

Broccoli - especially mini, recommended to eat also stems and leaves
cherry tomatoes
Cabbage
Spinach
Cilantro or dill
Fennel
Peppers, Ramiro
Tomatoes - a little less
Cucumbers - a little less
Lettuce

In the large boxes also:

Cauliflower or Chinese cabbage
Turnip
Cilantro or dill

Fruit baskets:

Apples
Bananas or avocados
Citrus

As usual, additions and deletions before Tuesday at noon. Please observe this deadline, as changes are either difficult or impossible thereafter.
.