In my last post I briefly mentioned that I was getting some great heads of broccoli this year, a first in quite a number of years. I don’t know why, but the last few years I get lots of little shoots, not big heads. But this year, I got 4 large heads of broccoli… and then quite a lot of little shoots off the other plants. But I’ll call the 4 big heads a huge win!

Yesterday I picked my very last big head of broccoli and today I thought I’d turn it into one of my favorite ways of eating broccoli, Broccoli Salad. 2 of my 4 kids love broccoli salad, one dislikes it very much, and one is indifferent to it. The one that is at home currently is indifferent. But, that means more for me!

This recipe can be found all over the internet, but here’s the version my family loves. Check out my tips for growing broccoli after the recipe.

Broccoli Salad Recipe

• Broccoli – 1 large head or 2 smaller heads
• Grapes – about 1 1/2 – 2 cups. I prefer purple, I just like them better and I like the contrast of colors
• Bacon – 1 pound, cooked and crumbled (or less if you don’t like a lot of bacon)

Wash and cut up the broccoli into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. Wash grapes, remove from stems, and add to the bowl. Add the crumbled bacon to the bowl. Mix all these together.

Broccoli Salad Dressing

• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

These measurements are rough, adjust for your taste preference and how much broccoli you have. Mix together the dressing ingredients and then pour over the broccoli. This tastes great right after you make it, or you can refrigerate it overnight. I think it’s best within the first 24 hours as it does get a bit soggy after that and the bacon rehydrates and gets rubbery or squishy, or something really unappetizing anyway.

Tips for growing broccoli

Broccoli is a cold weather crop, thus the reason it does well in Alaska in the summer. If you live somewhere that gets fairly warm you can grow broccoli in the fall (or early spring). It can handle a light frost, but should be covered if it’s going to be cold for a long time or get a hard frost overnight.

Last year I learned that I don’t water my garden enough. Some plants grow fine without a ton of water, especially if you cover the soil to hold the water in the soil rather than having it evaporate off. Broccoli needs about an inch of water per week, but the biggest thing with broccoli is consistent water. You don’t want to water that inch all in one day and then none the rest of the week. Spread it out. That helps them develop nice, big heads rather than the tiny shoots.

Broccoli, and a lot of veggies, when they get a lot of water and then have a hot dry spell, and then get watered again, that’s what causes bolting, or is one of the causes. Really hot weather can as well, even if they’re getting enough water. In some plants, the process of getting too hot and then getting a lot of water suddenly will cause splitting, splitting in the carrots or the potatoes, cabbages will also split.

Broccoli likes a good, well fertilized soil. I find compost or manure of some kind to be superior to the commercial granular fertilizers. Here in Alaska mounding the soil and then covering it in plastic makes a huge difference. First, it suppresses the weeds, so there’s no competition for nutrients. Second, because in Alaska they have to be planted indoors ahead of time, transplanting them into really cold ground will stop their growth for up to 2 weeks, or longer if it’s a cold spring.

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables, but I really only like it fresh. I love being able to grow it myself, even if I get the shoots, they still taste better than anything I can buy at the store. It can be frozen, and I do like a cream of broccoli soup several times over the winter. That might be my next preservation project, blanching and freezing broccoli for soup this winter…

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