Why This Is a Learning Process

I love broccoli, but I've never grown broccoli (or most vegetables) before.

For the last 3 weeks I've been watching our giant broccoli plant expectantly. The baby head got bigger and bigger.

But how big is big enough? Will it get bigger if I leave it alone?

It's like blowing up a balloon for the first time. You have no idea how far you can stretch the rubber without popping it.

I popped my balloon today. The beautiful broccoli started to flower. Broccoli heads are actually unopened flowers for the plant. Today I chopped it off and cooked it for lunch. It was a bit scraggily (the flowers spread out when they are ready to bloom) but it tasted okay. Boy #3 insisted that he get all the stem (his favorite) and he did.

Now we just have to see how big the side shoots will get. A tiny little head is starting above each large leaf.