Broccoli Rudolph

With Rudolph you can look forward to a very tasty harvest of good sized purple heads. Choose to sow early (April/May), for an October/December harvest, or slightly later (June) for eating fresh in January/February.

SOW & GROW: in a seed bed or in pots, choose to sow in April/May for an October/December harvest, or slightly later (June) for eating fresh in January/February.  Plant out during the summer, leave 50-60cm between plants.  You may need to stake if your garden is not very sheltered as broccoli is top heavy.  Individual plants can crop for up to 8 weeks.  Pick the shoots before the flower buds open, keep picking to encourage more shoots but don’t strip a plant completely (or let it flower) as this will stop side shoots developing.

EAT & ENJOY: for the best flavour steam the florets as soon as possible after cutting.  Try serving with white sauce, hollandaise or just with butter. Florets can be kept in the fridge in a poly bag for up to 3 days.