The history of broccoli is pretty neat. It's earliest ancestor was originally from the Mediterranean region, and clutivated by the Greeks at about 650 B.C. and looked more like leafy cabbage than broccoli. It was later cultivated in various forms, near coastal regions, exposing the plants to salt spray. This caused it to develope a thick waxy layer, that is still shown in the plant today. The broccoli plant, that we know today, didn't originate until the middle of the 1500's where it consists of a large, tasty, cluster of flower buds (which will blossom yellow if not harvested early enough).
Economic Botany: Plants in our world, 3rd ed. Simpson and Ogorzaly
McGraw Hill Publishing, 2001.
I like broccoli. It always reminded me of mini trees. In fact, that's what my parents told me to get me to eat it, and to this day its one of the few vegetables that I actually enjoy. Maybe its just having the power to devour little trees that makes it so damned enjoyable...
Posted by: Steph at October 10, 2003 03:00 PMI also thought that broccoli resembled little trees. That's why I never liked cauliflower. White trees? How unnatural.
Posted by: John at October 12, 2003 10:26 PMyeah, ill post something about cauliflower soon, just to follow it up, after all, they are in the same family...
Posted by: Jay at October 13, 2003 07:56 AMbroccoli rocks!!!! keep us updated on all the COOL facts about plants. green vegetables are the greatest!
Posted by: krisita at October 22, 2003 12:56 AMNot to sound condescending but birch trees are white. Their leaves may not be, but the bark is most certainly white. So cauliflower is not quite so unnatural now is it?? I hope I've given you a new love for cauliflower now. It is not a vegetable to be underestimated...
Posted by: Steph at October 22, 2003 07:58 PMactually, not all birches are white, some are black, its a multi ethnic species
Posted by: Jay at October 23, 2003 09:41 AMSo are you trying to say I'm racist, Jay?? Huh?? Is that what you're trying to say??
Posted by: Steph at October 24, 2003 06:15 PMyes, yes i am
Posted by: Jay at October 25, 2003 01:28 AM:(
Posted by: Steph at October 27, 2003 10:36 PMNot to hurt your feelings jay, but i have seen your little broccoli thing here for some time and never really had the desire to read it, until today that is. i think that fact that for lunch today i had cream of broccoli soup may have sparked this sudden interest in the topic. i have read it now, finally, and i must say i wished i didnt. haha just kidding. i just wanted to post something mean to someone for no reason just like everyone is doing on kates site. is it called a site? im not really into the computer lingo. anyway talk to ya later. keep planting, or whatever it is you do.
Posted by: Angela at November 10, 2003 08:39 PMhello everyone. i think brocolli rocks. i have singing lessons, and my teacher is called Chris. i was at school about a month ago, and half my class had art and the rest had food tech. my friend Grce brought in a brocolli to make a savoury plait with, and she only used a bit of it, so she gave it to me. i then gave it to Chris, as i had had the idea of a chainmail brocolli. he gave it to his friend Dennis, who has written a story about it. he wants me to write a story to, but im really bad at writing stories, so ive come onto the net to try and find a good story. no luck so far. if anyone has a spare half hour, and would like to help me by writing a story, id be ver so grateful. it can be in any style you like, but it would help me, even if it's only a short story. thank you
Posted by: Vikki at December 19, 2003 07:36 AMWithout friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.
Posted by: Boroson Bram at May 3, 2004 01:46 PM