Finishing the Broccoli Bed

My broccoli bed was an unexpected success this year after getting off to a disappointing start.  I had already harvested four huge heads of broccoli over the previous few weeks which promptly went into the freezer.  I think at my last count I was up to over twenty bags of broccoli frozen for the winter from just those four heads.

Today I went through and picked some of the smaller heads that looked like they were at just the right point for harvesting.  They weren't as impressive as my first harvests, but they filled up a large bowl just the same.

I made quick work of washing and chopping the heads into manageable pieces and then blanched them in a pot of boiling water.  I love the bright green color of freshly cooked broccoli.  It looks so much more appealing to me than the dull blue green of raw broccoli.

When it was all said and done I added six more bags of broccoli florets to my freezer.  The chickens got the tough stems and whatever trimmings that I didn't want so nothing was wasted.  I think I will have plenty of broccoli to tide me over until the next growing season thanks to my very productive garden patch.