Me & George (Herbert)

There’s not a lot I have in common with George Herbert Walker Bush. Well, maybe two things. I think that we both share some human DNA (although rumor has it on the internet that he has a lot of reptilian DNA which I wouldn’t doubt). And secondly, and more importantly, we both hate broccoli. Yes, I confess I hate broccoli. And no, it’s not because I don’t like to eat it. I do. But I hate to grow it. Broccoli is a spoiled, demanding, finicky, fragile and ultimately, not a very grateful vegetable. And I do like grateful and hearty (full of heart, eh?) hardy vegetables. Those are the best. And easiest. Broccoli is not.

First of all, there are not many heirloom varieties of broccoli. Just one in fact, Di Cicco “a favorite multi-cut Italian variety” which according to Johnny’s Seed catalog is:

“A traditional variety producing small, 3-4", main heads projected well above the foliage followed by a large yield of side-shoot spears. Nonuniform in maturity, resulting in a long harvest period. Harvest main head when 3" in diameter or less to encourage heavier side-shoot production.”

So, this is not like the grocery store variety which produces uniform nice heads at least 5-6" head and then dies. No, this is a type of broccoli that continues to produce. Which I like. Side-shoots. What the hell is that? It’s broccoli that keeps on coming.(But not in a big way, just little shoots).

Most broccoli are hybrid. Which in and of itself is not always a bad thing. Hybrids are selected for their traits which may or may not be a good thing. Traits I like are resistance to certain diseases (which makes the need for spraying less) and taste. I always try to choose the varieties that favor flavor. After all, that’s why we eat it in the first place. Taste. And if there were a way to choose varieties based on nutritive value I would. But there is not. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to enter into the equation for sellers of seeds. No, the main trait that most varieties of vegetables (and fruit) are shelf life (for transportation) and ease of picking (machine harvesting).

Did you know that are over 1200 varieties of bananas? And yet, you probably are one familiar with the Cavendish (the bland yellow one that is sold in every grocery store in America (which could very soon become extinct because of a new fungus)). Yes, the banana cartel is so strong the whole lot gets one name. At least we know there are different varieties of apples to try (only about 10 out of 10,000 are in the grocery stores) and we are starting to ask for more (like Honeycrisp...and the growers are frantically planting Honeycrisp Apple trees in order to cash in on the latest trend). Because it all is, a trend. Even the CSA. But it shouldn’t be. I see the CSA as a bridge. Between the industrial food system and people growing their own food.

I feel successful when anyone leaves the CSA because they are now growing enough of their own food (how’s that for a business model?). And I can still be their (your) safety net. And maybe give some guidance now and then (and a whole lot of potatoes).