Dear readers, allow me to present to you the one plant in the Victory Garden that turns F.’s blood to ice.
F. confided in me just the other day that seeing the broccoli ripening is upsetting him. Every time he passes it, he gets chills.
This startling revelation caused me to laugh.
A lot.
I am such a heartless wife.
F. really does not appreciate most vegetables, unless they are cooked for over an hour with fatback or salt pork or ham bone or some other bit of the pig. And really, the more pork and fat in it, the better. When he first discovered true Southern cooking (not in my kitchen), his eyes lit up with wonder. Ever since that time, we’ve both been convinced that, when it comes to food at least, my Eastern European hubby is truly a good ol’ boy at heart.
As such, he’s convinced that broccoli was invented to torment him. And because I am a creature of habit, not to mention cruel [insert evil cackle here], I generally persecute him with steamed broccoli at least once per week. I love the stuff. In some seasons, I even crave it and would gladly eat it several times per week.
Which is one of the reasons I planted so much of it.
The other reason? The sight of ice-blue broccoli buds swelling is just… beautiful to me. They are especially lovely first thing in the morning with the dew still on them. Blue-green foliage is a favorite of mine in the garden, too, and this plant’s gorgeous, slightly wavy leaves come with one of my favorite vegetables attached.
How could I resist?
Well, easily, to tell you the truth.
I didn’t always feel this way about growing broccoli. For over a decade, I avoided growing it with the same zeal F. now devotes to avoiding eating it, all because of a bad first experience. When I was 20, I left my six baby plants alone for a weekend — that’s right, a mere two days and nights — in mid-spring, and came back to find only skeletons of the leaves left. It was my first wipe-out crop (and weirdly enough, this was back when I was still using pesticides), and it rattled me. I was not ready to repeat the experience.
But since then, I’ve realized that incident was relatively rare. I just got spectacularly unlucky with broccoli on my first try.
Now, however, it is F. who feels unlucky with broccoli, surveying the surfeit of healthy plants at all different stages of development, promising blue-green spears on our plates for weeks and weeks to come.
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Poor F! That story made me smile. Manly men and their vegetable aversions
Merrilee´s last blog ..Guest post: Inspiration and intimidation by Johanna Harness
I know, Merrilee. One good thing, though: now that we’re all of five months married, I’ve stopped trying to cajole or manipulate him into eating things he does not like.
I can’t say that broccoli is my favorite veggie, but they do photograph very pretty!
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To each her own, Amy!
I think you should get F. to a hypnotist quick! I love broccoli raw or just barely sauteed with a bit of ginger and rosemary. What a shame to cook all the life and nutrition out of a veggie. Still your narrative is very funny. Beautiful portraits of that wonderful veggie … love the colors!
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A hypnotist? F. did learn how to hypnotize patients in his previous career, I think. (Not 100% sure on that.)
I have never attempted to mix ginger and rosemary, but you have me curious enough to try, Carol. Unfortunately, neither of us can manage much broccoli raw; its enzymes have to be released by a little heat, or most human beings have digestive issues afterward, or so I’m told.
My hubby isn’t terribly fond of green foods either, although with broccoli he seems to like it better when I cook it. I love it personally, one of my favorite veggies, and yours is making me hungry!
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Doesn’t it look mouthwatering, Clare? Mmm… glad to know I’ve got company in loving it — and in trying to persuade our men to eat it.
Oh, what a cruel world, the broccoli flowers are the size of a skull, and in the meantime the squirrels ate my first strawberries. That’s not fair!
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Well, we’ll try and protect the poor strawberries better, honey. How about that?
The color is mesmerizing! And so intense! Like you, I love it. And seeing it fresh in the garden like that makes me love it even more! You know you’re killing your hubby with goodness, Meredith
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Talon, I was actually surprised by how blue the florets are now. They start out bright green (as you can see in the background of the second shot), and then turn as they mature. So much better looking than anything I’ve ever glimpsed in a grocery store.
If only F. would be of that opinion, himself, that I’m killing him with goodness, I’d be happy.
Hasn’t F. heard of cheese? LOL All vegetables taste better with cheese, just as my hubby.
Would you believe I was sure that your first photograph was of a hydrangea? I can understand your appeal. It’s mouth and eye candy.
Well, Grace, I think that’s my fault. My mother tried to raise us to eat healthy, and this resulted in me finding my aunt’s broccoli slathered with cheese, served at family functions, to be a bit gross. It definitely hides the broccoli taste completely, though, so I probably ought to try it on F. Thanks for the suggestion!
(Does your hubby taste better with cheese, too?
Cute typo.)
I love broccoli, but hated it when I was little. Thankfully, my kids love it. I hope to grow some next winter
Noelle, I bet your winter conditions will be perfect for growing it. I’m told we can plant it in the autumn here, too, for harvest in early spring.
Isn’t it funny how our tastes change? I used to hate tomatoes as a child, which baffles me now.
I love broccoli too! I can munch it raw, sautéed with garlic, steamed, in stir-fry, or lightly boiled….no exceptions…..and it’s sooooooo good for us! Awesome pics, Meredith!
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Sauteed with garlic is the best, Serena. I think these two were made to go together, and I can’t wait to pair them directly from my garden when the garlic gets ready to harvest any day now.
Glad you liked the photos!
It certainly is a lovely color. I’ve personally never tried to grow it and I’m amazed at how early your garden is. Personally, we like broccoli in a soup, delicious.
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Helen, South Carolina gardening is a whole ‘nother ballgame from growing things in British Columbia, I suppose. I actually think my broccoli is lagging a bit because the angle of the sun in early spring was eclipsed by the tree line, putting the plants mostly in shade, and then we had that crazy cold spell which delayed everything.
How could I have forgotten broccoli soup? I’ve never tried to make my own cream of broccoli, and F. loves creamy soups. Great idea! Thank you.
Get some belly pork and roast it slowly for a couple of hours. Let it cool, then cube it up. In a wok, fry off some Shallots (about six, sliced) and garlic (four or five cloves), chilli (birds eye or something similar) and fish sauce (a couple of tablespoons). Then add stock and the cubed pork. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, then chuck in some oyster sauce and broccoli florets. Let it simmer until the broccoli is just right. Serve with rice.
If he still dislikes broccoli after that, wait until he is sleeping and smother him with a pillow!
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IG, you know what? I’m going to do that. How cool to get a recipe in the comments! I might even post the results. Thank you for that. Now all I have to do is locate shallots. Sadly, I think our season has passed so I’ll have to brave the grocery store produce department (I’m already losing the habit now that local markets are back in business for the season) — but that’s okay, because I have to go in there to get fish sauce anyway. That’s in the Asian foods section, I think.
Pork and broccoli. He’ll probably be charmed.
Good stuff! My dad hated the smell and taste of broccoli, and mom tortured him with it too! I’m with you though, I crave it and could eat it almost daily and not get tired of it. We had some last night, lightly steamed.
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Villager, I’m glad to know I’m in company with your mother. She obviously was a fine woman. Lightly steamed is the perfect way to enjoy it, in my opinion: you can really taste the broccoli that way.
but broccoli is a gift from the gods….i have no words…..i understand not….he may need to see a dr, quick!
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LOL, Carrie. We all have our own tastes, I guess. It keeps things interesting, for sure.
I sort of like that F likes southern cooking. I like it now and then, too, but love the steamed broccoli the most. How beautiful it is coming up and love the photo.
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Lynn, I like it, too. My family absolutely loves that fact, especially my mother and grandfather, who both enjoy country cookin’.
Soul food. I can’t eat that kind of food all the time (hello, unhealthy grease), but I do enjoy it very much, myself.
Glad you liked the photo.
I adore broccoli, though I don’t grow it. A farmer I know a few miles from here grows massive amounts of it for sales around the region, so I buy mine from him. We like it best raw, in a salad. And it IS a thing of beauty. I sympathize with your gentle exasperation with your good ol’ boy hubby, though.
jodi (bloomingwriter)´s last blog ..Talking and Writing and All Things Plants
I’m not really exasperated with F. I suppose we both get to be amazed at our individual differences, especially during this first year of marriage (when I am told all the truth comes out, LOL).
It made me so happy to read that you buy from a local farmer. Bravo!
Ha ah, I’m not keen on vegetables either! Why is it that everything that is bad for us tastes so good?
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Good question, Joe. I wonder if part of it might not be very early training?
For instance, my parents were quite strict with certain foods when I was a child, so that the first time I was offered sugary cereal — Froot Loops, by my first grade teacher as a reward for good behavior at school, if you can believe that — I found it absolutely disgusting and immediately offered the multicolored wheels back to her, amazed she could like them. I’m informed this is not typical behavior for a six-year-old.