PhDGirl

By Jessica Mousseau

Broccoli has become a popular vegetable in recent years with its one of a kind taste and multiple ways to prepare. Children and adults alike are beginning to fully enjoy the flavor of these delicious vegetables and take advantage of the nutrition they have to offer as well.

Growing Broccoli

Almost any type of soil will be fine for broccoli to thrive as long as the soil preparation is done properly. Basically good organic matter is definitely essential for the best broccoli to be harvested. If early crop is what you are going for the best choice to make is to begin sowing the seeds inside of the house. This should be done around 8 weeks ahead of your putting them into the garden. When starting inside you will want to plant them about ¼ inch deep with a minimal spacing of 2 inches apart from each other. At about 4 inches high you can move them into your garden. Be sure to water well and soon you will enjoy fresh home grown broccoli.

Eating Broccoli

There are so many ways to prepare broccoli, making it a very well liked vegetable among all. Steaming broccoli and adding it to the top of a potato seems to be a favorite among the younger broccoli lovers. But you can also stem them and have them as a side dish with butter or add some cheese. They are also wonderful in a stir-fry as well as raw with some vegetable dip or alone. They can be successfully added into a casserole, so the possibilities are endless.

By Jessica Mousseau

The broad bean also very well known as the fava bean, field bean, horse bean and even the tick bean.. These tasty beans have a great amount of nutrition within them. Growing these beans is pretty simple and easy to do. Broad beans are an excellent addition to any vegetable garden.

Growing Your Own Broad Beans

In order to grow broad beans, you will need to have a heavily-manured soil for planting. Sow in the beginning of November on a sheltered border in order to get early crop, then again in the month of January. Cover the seeds with some branches or leaves to protect them from the elements. The rows of broad beans should be about 2 feet away from each other and approximately 3 inches in between the seeds with a depth of 3 inches as well. Sowing should be done from January to June in regular intervals. If there is any sign of black fly, be sure to pinch the tops of the broad bean.

Preparing Broad Beans

A fresh broad bean only requires a blanching time of around 3 minutes or so. There are many tasty ways to eat broad beans, such as in a salad, as a curry or even as a side dish. The possibilities for broad beans are only limited by your individual creativity.

Broad beans add a nice flavor without overpowering your main course if it is added to the meat during the cooking process, adding broad beans to a pasta salad can prove to be a nice change of flavor as well. You can be as creative as you desire in preparing broad beans or you can do very little in preparation. The choice is all up to the individual.