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Broccoli Blooms

⁨945⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨fossilesque@mander.xyz⁩ to ⁨science_memes@mander.xyz⁩

https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/243e0a14-27ee-4abb-b455-37837f8181c1.png

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Comments

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  • funkajunk@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Broccoli comes from wild mustard, which flowers in order to reproduce.

    In fact, many vegetables come from just that single plant - we’ve cultivated it in so many ways for so many years, we’ve got some very distinct varieties:

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    • Eq0@literature.cafe ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Seriously?? Wow, a friend had been talking my ear off with brassicacea fact and failed to mention this? Thanks for sharing!

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      • zqwzzle@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Relevant xkcd

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      • The_v@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        B. oleracea gets all the fame.

        B. rapa never gets the respect it should.

        en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_rapa

        Bok Choi

        Bomdong

        Choy sum

        Komatsuna

        Mizuna

        Napa Cabbage

        Rapini

        Tatsoi

        Turnip

        Yellow Sarson

        Oil seed Mustard

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    • yucandu@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I once had someone accuse me of being bourgeoisie for eating Brussels sprouts.

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      • imsufferableninja@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I’ve found that anyone who uses bourgeoisie unironically can and should be ignored

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      • funkajunk@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        That’s not why you’re bougie

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      • captainlezbian@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        You should’ve been eating cabbage like a good proletariat /s

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    • Frozengyro@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      So what is kohlrabi? Is it good? How do you eat/cook it?

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      • exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        It tastes like broccoli stems. Some are more tender than others (just like with broccoli stems).

        I usually slice into little julienned pieces and marinate it in salt and acid for it to wilt into some kind of modified cole slaw.

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      • Leomas@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        You can eat it cooked or raw, I personally prefer raw as a refreshing sweet snack.

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      • howrar@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Raw, it’s a little spicy, similar to radishes. Boiled, it’s very sweet. It can take the place of carrots and turnips in soups.

        The simplest preparation that’ll give you an idea of how the ingredients tastes on its own: cut into thin slices and boil in water with a bit of salt and msg (I personally like to use chicken stock).

        The outer layer is very tough and fibrous, so make sure to get rid of that first. Depending on the quality of the bulb, you might also end up with one that’s fibrous throughout. Those are not pleasant to eat, and if you happen to get one of those, I assure you that it’s not a typical experience.

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      • funkajunk@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        It’s basically like a milder/sweeter turnip.

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      • Nfamwap@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        You eat it with your mouth, someone else will be along to tell you how to cook it

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      • dankm@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Better than Brussels sprouts. Anything is better than that hell.

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    • ThatGuy46475@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      So then if I eat mustard, I don’t have to eat the rest of that stuff?

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      • mathiouchio@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Depends, mustard seeds yes. Mustard sauce also yes.

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    • bluesheep@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      In the words of my lord and savior samonella

      (I don’t know if time stamps are copied on YTLITE, I’ll check on my pc and if not edit the link)

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  • bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    My parents had some lettuce on their balcony but failed to harvest it in time so it grew taller and taller. They gave it to a friend as a birthday present and nobody could say what weird plant they had brought.

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    • TheBat@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      “Let us see if anyone else can guess”, accompanied by aggressive eyebrow movements.

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      • bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Oh, you’ve met them.

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    • EvacuateSoul@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      That’s called bolting, and it’s no longer enjoyable to eat when it’s done that.

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    • flora_explora@beehaw.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Wait till it flowers! It has a really nice inflorescence, although I think other Lactuca species are more beautiful overall :)

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  • Auth@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I only know this because im a really shit gardener

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    • buttnugget@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Your loss becomes our gain or something.

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  • rainwall@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    This is called "bolting" in gardening terms.

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    • Slatlun@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Not exactly. It is bolting when it starts sending up a flowering stem, the very beginning of flowering. Every broccoli I’ve ever eaten has bolted, but not many of them have bolted and flowered.

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      • Cort@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Huh, I’ve only heard bolting used when plants start flowering too early, before they’ve produced. Like lettuces or basil flowering before there are more than a couple leaves. Usually because they’re too crowded or otherwise stressed.

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  • ook@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I… don’t know enough about broccoli to figure out if this is a meme or not.

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    • prex@aussie.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I don’t know enough about memes to figure out if this is broccoli or not.

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      • OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        And at this point I’m too afraid to ask

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    • ThePancakeExperiment@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      It is not, with broccoli and cauliflower you literally eat the buds, or how they are called in English, and they can of course flower.

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      • funkajunk@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        We call them “florets”, which means “small flower”

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      • ilovecheese@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        And butterflies love the flowers! All my broccoli went to flower (bolted) last year!

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      • Bldck@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        In English it’s called a floret. Which hints at its true form

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  • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Does it taste good?

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    • MunkyNutts@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      In my opinion, no. It is picked and consumed when the buds are still tight, if the head starts to loosen or the buds begin to open it has a more bitter taste to it.

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      • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Related, but kale blooms look similar and I like the florets a lot in pasta (esp. mac & cheese).

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      • SeptugenarianSenate@leminal.space ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I hope that this does not catch you in the wrong frame of reference, but given your diverse dietary background I feel that this may be one of the least objectionable chances for me to query your memory regarding whether or not you may have ever by chance had the opportunity to also partake in the consumption (including subsequent digestion) of the testicular organs of any mammalian species, such as for example, the testicles of a non-humanoid primate, like of a monkey?

        -gin

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    • sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Typically when plants flower they become more bitter. There are outliers but the general rule holds. Broccoli is better before it flowers fs

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  • thatradomguy@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Does it taste better when it blooms?

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    • EchoCT@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Grew broccoli for the first time this year. The answer is worse, chewier, stringier.

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      • kieron115@startrek.website ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Some plants make some bitter compounds when they go to seed so I would guess not.

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    • mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      It’s closely related to mustard, and mustard’s distinct flavor is from the seeds. So I’d assume that if you leave it long enough for the blooms to seed, they’d taste similar to mustard.

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      • ikidd@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Everything is a brassica.

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      • dandylion@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Does that make the flowers tastier?

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  • IndiBrony@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    What I get from this: we eat broccoli before it reaches sexual maturation.

    So you don’t enjoy eating fully grown broccoli, you enjoy eating prepubescent broccoli children.

    I’m also realising that this is true of a lot of veg…

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    • lividweasel@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Vegetable veal

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  • heyWhatsay@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    So do the flowers smell like a fart too?

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    • buddascrayon@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      If your broccoli smells like a fart and that means you have overcooked it in water.

      Try roasting that shit, he will find that broccoli smells and tastes fucking fantastic.

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  • danc4498@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Is it tasty?

    What about cauliflower?

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    • Geekocracy@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Once it blooms it turns bitter. Still edible, but a different flavor

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    • lettruthout@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Yes, you can eat the flowers. We combine them with regular broccoli in a saute. They make a pretty addition. The very end of the stems are also edible but anything more than an inch or two from the end can be woody.

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      • fossilesque@mander.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I slice the stems into sticks and soak them in salt water for a day or two for a tasty snack. Make sure to cut the outer layer off for max absorbtion.

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    • jimmux@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      The broccoli and broccolini in my garden have grown so big it’s hard to keep up. This means I’ll sometimes eat bits that have begun flowering. I haven’t noticed much difference in the taste.

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  • NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    For anyone in NE North America, our native Golden Alexander plant can be eaten in a similar way and tastes quite a bit like broccoli. As a bonus, it’s a host plant for black swallowtail butterflies, so it’s a wonderful addition to the garden!

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  • Droggelbecher@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    My grandpa always leaves some of the veg he grows to bloom so he can take the seeds to plant in the next year. It’s really interesting to watch them develop!

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  • shalafi@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Green onion bulbs are a delicacy! You can eat the flower, but it’s not as juicy and a little papery.

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  • Lumisal@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Broccoli is named after the family which invented it. The family line so exists with the last name of Broccoli and is quite wealthy.

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    • SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      That’s what the Broccoli family (of James Bond fame) claims, but it’s contested. The James Bond IP is the source of their wealth.

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      • Lumisal@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Whoops, should have elaborated that was their source of wealth so people don’t think they got rich from allegedly inventing broccoli (didn’t know it was contested)

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      • Jumpingspiderman@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        They were in the veggie business in NYC I think. The name comes from Southern Italy somewhere.

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    • dankm@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I thought it was named after Lieutenant Broccoli of Star Trek fame.

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    • Jumpingspiderman@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      A branch of the Broccoli family made the James Bond movies until they sold the rights for gigabux to Amazon.

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  • ReCursing@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Somehow the fact the flowers are a sickly yellow is a little bit disappointing

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    • Ageroth@reddthat.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      That’s what color they are in the “visible” spectrum, I wonder what they look like if you added in the ultraviolet spectrum that bees and other insects can see

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      • ComradePedro@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Well, we can’t really picture a color outside the visible spectrum. Just try to imagine a color you’ve never seen…

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  • Cat_Daddy@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    And in culinary terms, the piece of broccoli that you eat is called a floret.

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  • MidnightPocket@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Basil similarly will do this.

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