In the midst of sowing radish and carrot seeds, we harvested our first crop of the season – Purple Sprouting Broccoli. It is so beautiful, so fresh and so tender that I did not use my bamboo steamer. Instead, I sautéed it lightly in butter along with some garlic, salt and pepper. It turned green upon cooking and paired up beautifully with lentils and rice. Yum-O!
Purple Sprouting Broccoli is a mild, purple version of the regular broccoli. Thanks to Sue Hartman at Seattle Tilth, who saved the seeds from her crop, I raised these plants from seed last August. The seedlings went into my vegetable bed in fall where they overwintered to produce purple broccoli sprouts in spring.
It’s an easy to grow, hardy vegetable that grows well in the wet winters of the Pacific Northwest. The whole plant is edible –from the stems to the leaves to the sprouting florets.
For those trying to eat seasonal, locally grown food, the Purple Sprouting Broccoli is an ideal choice. The seeds can be ordered from Ed Hume Seeds or Territorial Seed Company.