Broccoli and Bokashi Update

Update on the bokashi composter that I got......Well, I think it's okay. I had all of the composted material in there and the bran flakes scattered all over it. But, I never did get any liquid out of it and it kinda got moldy so I took it out yesterday and dumped it in the bare spot in the garden and covered it with about a foot of soil/compost/worm castings. There are no plants around it and no plans for the next few weeks so we'll see how it goes. I'm not sure what I expected...maybe more decomposition? Certainly more liquid (there was literally none, although when I took the plant material out, it was moist). If nothing else, it's a good experiment and I'll keep playing around with it. Not to the point that I would recommend it to anyone on the street like I do regular composting.

Yesterday I went with my oldest to the grocery store (she moved into a new house and now needs all of the requirements!) and stopped by the Texas Backyard and found some nice little cole crops: broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts. I will be starting my own broccoli seeds here shortly, but I have a dire need to get something in the ground. Plus, I like to see what other stores are getting and if I want to carry them in my own. And, these were varieties that I haven't tried before here in Central Texas so I could try it without having to bet the whole farm on it. (If I don't know how a plant with do, I try to get only one so I don't plant my whole garden on something that won't make here.)

Long story short, while shopping I got to talking to a lady also looking through the vegetables and we were discussing vegetables to put in now and the fact that they're called "Cole Crops" and not "Cold Crops". Repeatedly, I assured her that it was 'cole' and not 'cold'. ("Think Cole Hauser from Yellowstone planting broccoli")

Once home, I asked my AI buddy, Cynefin, to give me a little information on broccoli and this is the information he came up with: broccoli is packed with vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, fiber and antioxidants like sulforaphane, which may help against certain types of cancers and one of the reasons I began eating broccoli in the first place. With a strong cancer risk from my mother's side, I was looking for vegetables that I liked. At the time, raw spinach hadn't taken off in the salad world and the only place anyone ever saw kale was at the salad bar at Sirloin Steakhouse. So broccoli it was!

Since that time, I have discovered that the broccoli leaves chopped up like spinach and kale in an omelet are spectacular. I'm also considering getting some of them this winter and drying them into a powder to add to smoothies and soups.

What else? The Fall Symposium of the Native Plant Society wraps up today and Native Plant week starts on Sunday. There is a report of rain possibly in the forecast next weekend so if you can get your wildflower seeds sprinkled/spread/broadcast/seed bombed this upcoming week, it will be great timing.