When the Food Doesn’t Grow, Eat the Leaves

Over the winter months here in Florida, I have grown some nice looking cruciferous vegetables. Or should I say, the plants are nice looking. So far, there are no actual vegetable parts to eat.

The Brussel sprouts (Catskill – Long Island Improved), broccoli Calabrese, and cauliflower (Snowball) PLANTS have all grown nicely from seeds put into the ground this Fall.

Brussel Sprouts in December

Broccoli in December

Cauliflower in December

Be Aware: Not all vegetable leaves are edible!

Be sure you know what you are eating as many vegetable leaves are not edible and some are dangerous to eat.

Even without the normal parts of the cruciferous plants, the leaves can be cooked and taste pretty good!

I don’t know if any of these plants will grow heads of cauliflower, stalks of broccoli or little green sprouts. I had high hopes, but maybe the weather has become too cold. I’ll continue to let them grow, while picking only a leaf or two from each plant to cook.

When these leaves are boiled or simmered for an hour or more, they are soft and easy to eat alone, or in a meal. I save the water too, which is full of nutrients.

Add the leaves, either whole or chopped, to soup, stew or in stock. They are similar to cabbage leaves. Freeze the leftover cooking water for later use.

A single electric burner works well for simmering for long periods of time. It also frees up the stove.

Other Garden Leaves Okay to Eat

I’m also enjoying my borage leaves and using them to make tea. Borage grows very well during the coldest part of a Florida winter. Even without the pretty blue flowers, the big bristly leaves can be picked to make a mild tasting tea. This page, at Sow Right Seeds, suggests picking the leaves while they are small, but I take the largest leaves from the bottom of the plant and leave the small ones to continue to grow. I steep them in hot water for 15 minutes.

Just last summer I discovered that sweet potato leaves can be eaten! In fact, they are very nutritional. These I do pick small and add a few to a salad or pot of soup, or stew. They are good chopped and added to a stir fry as well. Leaves are heart-shaped and they can have pretty flowers. Meanwhile the actual potatoes are busy growing underground AND they will come back and continue to grow year after year (in warm climate) if some of the plant is left in the ground.

Are you eating anything new from your garden?