[ceri green]

hello all

when can i harvest brussel tops? do i  wait until the winter when all the sprouts have formed or can i take them before then?
also, has anyone ever used the more tender leaves of broccoli and/or cauliflower as a vegetable? if so, do they taste ok or not worth the effort?
likewise beetroot? (is this what they call spinach beet/perpetual spinach?)

any advice welcome - it seems a shame to waste the leaves if they are a tasty veg, even if they end up as soup!
ceri

[mumofstig]

I don't know about brussels as i don't grow them , but you can eat the leaves from the other brassicas, i often leave leaves on when i cook broccoli.
Young beetroot leaves you can use in salads, but i have never cooked them. Spinach beet is not beetroot, it only grows spinachy leaves, no roots, but it is called perpetual because it doesn't run to seed like ordinary spinach, so you can grow it most of the year I use mine to make cheese and spinach pies

[DD.]

As regards brussel tops, have a look at this very recent thread......

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=41400.0