Broccoli is one of the few vegetables available fresh year round. It is most abundant (and inexpensive) bewteen October and May.

Broccoli is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. One serving of broccoli (1 cup chopped) has more than the U.S.recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C, as well as a good supply of vitamin A and folacin. The florets are richer in these vitamins than the stalks. Broccoli also contains phytochemicals such as sulforaphane that are believed protect against cancer. All this for only 28 calories!

When buying fresh broccoli make sure the stalks are crisp, so that when they break they snap clean. The florets should be tightly closed and uniformly green; yellow florets are a sign that the broccoli is past its prime. Good color also indicates nutritional quality: dark green, purplish or bluish green florets have more beta carotene and vitamin C than paler florets.

Store broccoli in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator to protect the flavor and vitamin content.


-Source: Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition
-Source: Nestle, M. Broccoli srpouts in cancer prevention. Nutr Rev 1998 Apr;56(4 Pt 1):127-30
-Source: Fahey, JW et al. Broccoli sprouts: an exceptionally rich source of inducers of enzymes that protect against chemical carcinogens. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1997 Sep 16;94(19):10367-72