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Old 10-04-2005, 03:20 AM
Katra
 
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Default Broccoli seeds...

I let the side sprouts of my brocolli plants from this winter go to seed
instead of eating them. I'm shocked at how those little bitty bunches
grew into HYOOGE seed stalks!

Pretty yellow flowers that the local honeybees went bonkers over.

I now have some very tall brocolli plants with dozens of large, fat,
green seed pods sticking out all over the place. The pods are 2" to 4"
long and about 1/4" thick at the middle.

They look a lot like bean pods so I can't help wondering if they are
edible. ;-)

Do I need to let these die back and dry naturally, or can I cut the
stalks or remove the pods to let them dry?

How do I know when the seeds are mature???

This is my first time EVER growing brocolli, and I'd really like to yank
these plants to put in new ones! I need the space......

TIA!

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

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  #2   Report Post  
Old 10-04-2005, 12:29 PM
Pat Kiewicz
 
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Katra said:

They look a lot like bean pods so I can't help wondering if they are
edible. ;-)


I suspect they are; the leaves are edible, too, but pretty tough, and the
stalks are edible once you peel the tough outer layer away.

Radish pods are used in Asian cooking. Maybe broccoli pods could also
be used. (Both are in the same family.) The broccoli pods could be too
tough or stringy, though. Try nibbling one raw to test for tenderness.

Do I need to let these die back and dry naturally, or can I cut the
stalks or remove the pods to let them dry?


If you want to let the seeds mature so you can turn them into
nutritious broccoli sprouts, you have to let the pods dry on the
plant.

How do I know when the seeds are mature???


The pods will be dry and the seeds will be dark.

This is my first time EVER growing brocolli, and I'd really like to yank
these plants to put in new ones! I need the space......

Well, then maybe you don't want to wait for the seeds to mature.
Harvest the pods (if they aren't too tough and stringy to eat) and clear
the space for the next crop.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

  #3   Report Post  
Old 10-04-2005, 04:41 PM
r m watkin
 
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Hi All,
why not leave one or two plants at the end of the row, when they mature ther
will be well enough seeds for what you need. one seed head will produce
enough seeds to fill a packet. hope this helps you.

Richard M. Watkin.

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
Katra said:

They look a lot like bean pods so I can't help wondering if they are
edible. ;-)


I suspect they are; the leaves are edible, too, but pretty tough, and the
stalks are edible once you peel the tough outer layer away.

Radish pods are used in Asian cooking. Maybe broccoli pods could also
be used. (Both are in the same family.) The broccoli pods could be too
tough or stringy, though. Try nibbling one raw to test for tenderness.

Do I need to let these die back and dry naturally, or can I cut the
stalks or remove the pods to let them dry?


If you want to let the seeds mature so you can turn them into
nutritious broccoli sprouts, you have to let the pods dry on the
plant.

How do I know when the seeds are mature???


The pods will be dry and the seeds will be dark.

This is my first time EVER growing brocolli, and I'd really like to yank
these plants to put in new ones! I need the space......

Well, then maybe you don't want to wait for the seeds to mature.
Harvest the pods (if they aren't too tough and stringy to eat) and clear
the space for the next crop.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)



  #4   Report Post  
Old 10-04-2005, 09:35 PM
g
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Pat,

In wet climates, seeds can mold. Therefore, if there is any doubt,
once the seed shells begin to dry, you can put them indoors. DO
NOT put them in an airtight container. Paper envelopes let seeds
breathe (not slick or waxed or oiled paper... just a standard mailing
envelope can work).

g
"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
Katra said:

They look a lot like bean pods so I can't help wondering if they are
edible. ;-)


I suspect they are; the leaves are edible, too, but pretty tough, and the
stalks are edible once you peel the tough outer layer away.

Radish pods are used in Asian cooking. Maybe broccoli pods could also
be used. (Both are in the same family.) The broccoli pods could be too
tough or stringy, though. Try nibbling one raw to test for tenderness.

Do I need to let these die back and dry naturally, or can I cut the
stalks or remove the pods to let them dry?


If you want to let the seeds mature so you can turn them into
nutritious broccoli sprouts, you have to let the pods dry on the
plant.

How do I know when the seeds are mature???


The pods will be dry and the seeds will be dark.

This is my first time EVER growing brocolli, and I'd really like to yank
these plants to put in new ones! I need the space......

Well, then maybe you don't want to wait for the seeds to mature.
Harvest the pods (if they aren't too tough and stringy to eat) and clear
the space for the next crop.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)



  #5   Report Post  
Old 10-04-2005, 11:01 PM
simy1
 
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Default

I am about to walk to the garden with half a tray of savoy cabbage
seedlings to transplant. The seeds were bought in 2000 and they
sprouted vigorously (there are five or six seedlings per cell). Ziploc
bag in a freezder, that is all they need.



  #6   Report Post  
Old 11-04-2005, 04:08 PM
Gary Woods
 
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Default

Katra wrote:

Do I need to let these die back and dry naturally, or can I cut the
stalks or remove the pods to let them dry?


Katra-

A little belatedly, but here's what I do for brassicas and things with
similar pods:

Cut the dry flower heads when most of the pods have turned brown and put in
a PAPER shopping bag. I'm save the nice ones with handles from my
infrequent shopping excursions*.

Stash indoors in a dry place until everything is crackly dry- in my
location with hot air heat, this is no problem in the fall/winter! Then
just crumble everything with your hands; the seeds will settle at the
bottom of the bag and you can lift/pour off the big chunks, then just pour
what's left from one pail to another outdoors on a breezy day.
If you're serious about seed saving, a set of screens with various mesh
sizes is a help, though not essential.

Dead easy, most of the work can be done whenever you feel like it.

*I've been on my own for 3+ years; finally having to buy my own clothes.

Peace


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G
  #7   Report Post  
Old 19-04-2005, 08:52 AM
OmManiPadmeOmelet
 
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Default

In article ,
(Pat Kiewicz) wrote:

Katra said:

They look a lot like bean pods so I can't help wondering if they are
edible. ;-)


I suspect they are; the leaves are edible, too, but pretty tough, and the
stalks are edible once you peel the tough outer layer away.


lol Yes, tough indeed!
I tried a few, but they have been on the plants for a few weeks now.


Radish pods are used in Asian cooking. Maybe broccoli pods could also
be used. (Both are in the same family.) The broccoli pods could be too
tough or stringy, though. Try nibbling one raw to test for tenderness.

Do I need to let these die back and dry naturally, or can I cut the
stalks or remove the pods to let them dry?


If you want to let the seeds mature so you can turn them into
nutritious broccoli sprouts, you have to let the pods dry on the
plant.


Well... Something was eating them so I had to go ahead and chance
cutting them. There have been no changes now in pod size/shape now for
at least a month.

I put the pods into a paper bag to dry.


How do I know when the seeds are mature???


The pods will be dry and the seeds will be dark.


Okay. We'll see what happens now.


This is my first time EVER growing brocolli, and I'd really like to yank
these plants to put in new ones! I need the space......

Well, then maybe you don't want to wait for the seeds to mature.
Harvest the pods (if they aren't too tough and stringy to eat) and clear
the space for the next crop.


I ended up doing that yesterday.
I'm hoping the pods are mature enough now to dry ok in a bag and still
be viable. I put new brocolli and a few cauliflower plants in their
place.

Thanks for the input!!!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson
  #8   Report Post  
Old 19-04-2005, 08:53 AM
Katra
 
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Default

In article . net,
"g" wrote:

Pat,

In wet climates, seeds can mold. Therefore, if there is any doubt,
once the seed shells begin to dry, you can put them indoors. DO
NOT put them in an airtight container. Paper envelopes let seeds
breathe (not slick or waxed or oiled paper... just a standard mailing
envelope can work).

g



For now, I put the podded stalks into a paper bag to dry.
There were eaten pods all over the ground! Something was stripping the
mature pods and eating just the seeds out of them.....
--
K.
  #9   Report Post  
Old 19-04-2005, 08:55 AM
Katra
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
Gary Woods wrote:

Katra wrote:

Do I need to let these die back and dry naturally, or can I cut the
stalks or remove the pods to let them dry?


Katra-

A little belatedly, but here's what I do for brassicas and things with
similar pods:

Cut the dry flower heads when most of the pods have turned brown and put in
a PAPER shopping bag. I'm save the nice ones with handles from my
infrequent shopping excursions*.


That is what I did. The pods are still green, but they are large and
lumpy and have not changed the way they look now for a good month.


Stash indoors in a dry place until everything is crackly dry- in my
location with hot air heat, this is no problem in the fall/winter! Then
just crumble everything with your hands; the seeds will settle at the
bottom of the bag and you can lift/pour off the big chunks, then just pour
what's left from one pail to another outdoors on a breezy day.
If you're serious about seed saving, a set of screens with various mesh
sizes is a help, though not essential.


I've used the "air cleaning" method for chaffe before. lol
The seeds are heavy so if you crush dry pods in a bowl, you can pick out
most of the trash from the top after shaking the bowl. The seeds go to
the bottom, then you can air clean the remaining light weight trash.

As long as these dry properly, I think I'll get a good crop of seeds and
see if I can plant them.


Dead easy, most of the work can be done whenever you feel like it.

*I've been on my own for 3+ years; finally having to buy my own clothes.

Peace


grins
Thanks for the input!



Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

--
K.
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Old 19-04-2005, 08:58 AM
Katra
 
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In article ,
"r m watkin" wrote:

Hi All,
why not leave one or two plants at the end of the row, when they mature ther
will be well enough seeds for what you need. one seed head will produce
enough seeds to fill a packet. hope this helps you.

Richard M. Watkin.


I ended up taking the seeds down because something was eating them...
The pod appearance has not change for awhile now, but they are still
green looking. Just a bit of yellow showing that they are starting to
dry.

I'll update if I can get them to sprout. I have greenhouses to protect
seedlings now. :-) Thanks for the input!
--
K.


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