Sprouting broccoli - how do I know when it's ready?

[roseylea]

Hello,

I've not posted here before but I have a question - we have some magnificent white sprouting broccoli in out garden which is flowering (???) now - the question is how do we know when to pick it? THe top bits (please excuse complete lack of technical jargon) are tiny - do we wait fir tem to get a bit bigger?

ANy ideas?

[thehairybabysmum]

when you say flowering doyou mean the white brocoli bits are showing or are there actual yellow flowers?? If the former then start picking and enjoy.

[nowornever]

if it's little flowers you are too late! sprouting broccoli is mostly stalk and leaf with a little 'floret' on top, you eat quite a bit of the stalk and leaf and it is yummy. it's not like big broccoli or calebrese where you get a great big head and just eat that. It looks like you don't get much per plant but when you cut it off more grows.

[roseylea]

thank you!

It is sprotng broc, but the stems are quite thin - in the shops you see purple sprouting broc fo sale and the stems are far thicker than ours is in the garden. Should I wait for it to get a bit thicker?

Thank you my experts!

[thefuturesbright]

if the florets look right then eat it now - thicker stems are not necessarily a good thing. the florets are basically flower buds, if you leave them they just burst into yellow flowers and it's all over.

I'm still cutting and eating mine - they were a lovely surprise, as I thought I'd planted brussel sprouts and had a major failure!