The Eastern Broccoli Project was successful in its renewal application, so we are moving ahead for another five years. We were awarded two years of funding and approved for an additional three years. Thanks very much to all the collaborators who made this such a high-ranking application, and to the USDA-NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative for funding it.
As we ramp up activities during September, you will see more news on this blog.

That young children dislike broccoli is a commonly held assumption. Many parents know that is entirely untrue, as their small children gobble up the little trees with abandon. USDA offers consumption statistics that help inform this question. It turns out that young children, both boys and girls eat nearly as much broccoli among their vegetables as adults to. The drop occurs with teenagers, particularly boys. Young women start eating broccoli sooner than young men, but it becomes a larger part of their vegetable consumption as they get older.

The statistics also show the broccoli consumption is similar among low income, mid-income, and high income consumers. There are small differences in total vegetable consumption among income groups, but not enough to support the common impression that low income consumers are not getting vegetables.
Broccoli consumption is also consistent among weight categories. There is little difference among consumers who are healthy weight, overweight, or obese. Notably, obese children eat slightly more broccoli than their lighter counterparts.

Broccoli is a large share of cooking vegetables e

ven though it constitutes only about 4% of total vegetable consumption. The majority of vegetable consumption (58%) constitutes tomatoes and potatoes, And much of the rest (26%) are salad vegetables. Cooking vegetables constitute the remaining 16%, so broccoli share of those is significant.

At the Eden Valley twilight meeting, Christy Hoepting discussed variety performance with prospective growers in the new packing area of the W.D Henry and Sons.
Later, in the field, the Phase III yield trial showed that the new varieties from the project were holding up well in the heat, where the older varieties were suffering.

Eastern Broccoli Project trials will be on display this week as part of educational events in three states.

On Wednesday, August 19, a production trial will be featured in a Fresh Market Vegetable Twilight Meeting at W.D. Henry and Sons in Eden, NY. As part of the event, which runs from 6 to 8:30 pm, Cornell Vegetable Specialist Christy Hoepting and project director Thomas Björkman will lead a tour and discussion of Eastern Broccoli Project trials.

Also on August 19, Carroll County Virginia Extension Agent Suzanne Slack will host an informational session on growing summer broccoli. The event, which is advertised on the Carroll County Extension Facebook page, takes place at 6 pm on at Light’s Farm in Laurel Fork, VA.

From 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on August 20, broccoli project trials will be part of the Alternative Crops and Organics Research Highlights Tour held by Jeanine Davis and Margaret Bloomquist at North Carolina State University’s research station in Waynesville, NC. See http://ncalternativecropsandorganics.blogspot.com for more information.

Our collaborators at Johnny’s Selected Seed have a nice article on timing brassica planting. The article includes good examples of how different brassicas, including broccoli, modify their development in response to temperature. They mention Imperial as the most summer-tolerant in their line. In our trials, two varities that Johnny’s carries, Imperial and Bay Meadows, are standards that have been the ones to beat.

In the May issue of Produce Business, there is an article on the rapid growth in demand for locally grown vegetables in the southeast. That article is a special box about new varieties.  the article highlights broccoli as a key vegetable that has been seeing an effort by regional growers. Powell Smith is quoted about adapting kale production  to hot sandy soil, and also noting the sad fact that it has been a decade since Clemson had a vegetable breeding program. Our new collaborator, Tim Coolong  at the University of Georgia outlines the many qualities required in varieties for them to thrive in the southeast.

A century ago, growers were also eager for broccoli varieties that could be harvested later into spring and early summer.

Some of the finest strains of late broccoli, however, are not in commerce, being in the hands of market-men, who have been selecting and re-selecting the stock for the last two or three generations, and from whom it is impossible to beg or buy even a single seed. In course of time, however, these will doubtless pass into the seeds men’s hands, when several late strains, later than anything at present in commerce, will be added to our list of useful varieties.
— F. W. Hammond. Pilgrim’s Hatch, Essex.
In The Garden, February 1917.

This article is about white broccoli, which was raised in England in the late 19th and early 20th century. It looked virtually identical to cauliflower but was cold hardy and raised for cold-season harvest. It was typically planted in the spring and harvested in either late fall or early the following spring. Biennial types headed and were harvested in the spring, but had little heat tolerance. Growers eagerly wanted late varieties that could be harvested in May and still look good.

Becoming GAP-certified is essential for commercial growers, but the process can seem daunting – where do you start?!

The GAPs Resources page of the Eastern Broccoli website now features an introduction to Good Agricultural Practices for broccoli growers, including reasons to get certified, an overview of the certification process, and a look at broccoli production with GAPs.  Please check out the information if you are growing or thinking about growing broccoli but aren’t yet GAP-certified.