Why? Kiwis throw away over 2,500 tonnes of broccoli stalks and leaves every year. That’s a lot of food going to waste that could be eaten.
Broccoli stalks are both edible and delicious. That’s right, broccoli stalks are edible! That may be news to some - after all, if you were only served the florets as a child, you might not even be aware that you can eat the stalks.
When you throw away a broccoli stalk you can be throwing away almost half of the vegetable - which not only is a waste of food, it is also a waste of money. Research conducted by Love Food Hate Waste has revealed that over 2,500 tonnes of broccoli stalks are thrown away by Kiwi households every year.
As many people don’t realise the stalks are edible and others don’t know how to prepare the stalks for cooking. To remedy this, Love Food Hate Waste wants you to be a broccoli stalker - which is as simple as eating your broccoli stalks.
So how can you eat broccoli stalks?
- To use them, cut the very bottom off the stalk.
- Remove any leaves and then use a vegetable peeler to peel the outer layer.
- You can then slice, chop, grate or spiralise them. Slice them and steam them with the florets, add them to a soup, stew, salad or stir fry, or grate them for fritters.
If you think of broccoli as a two-for-one vegetable - two different types of vegetable from one plant - you can get an extra serve of your 5+ a day for no extra cost.
Get the recipe for making Broccoli Balls using the stalks here >
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Be a Broccoli Stalker Comments
I always just eat the stalks raw (peeled) as I'm cooking the rest - delicious - same goes for cabbage and cauliflower stalks
NikiH
Bout time folk realized that there's onehellva a lot of wastage in food preparation...with the slow cooker |I donot bother to peel any root vegies because it it said that a lot of nutrients are actually in the skins. Keep up the good work.
Penny Oulaghan
Grate them into bolognese - it's a sneaky way of getting more greens, and you won't even know they're there.
Marama
What brilliant thinking, I will use them from now on, thanks.
Grace Terry
Great idea, thanks
Nadene Gavigan
Great idea Marama, thanks for sharing!
jenna
Thanks for your feedback Penny :)
jenna
I dehydrate the stalks and leaves along with other veg scraps that a lot of people throw out, (if I can't use them fresh) and then grind to a powder then use as powdered veg stock in loads of recipes.
NZ Mermaid
My dogs love to eat the broccoli stalk. I cut it into quarters and give it to them or I dice it up and put it with their dinner.
Phillippa
Add to a bag in the freezer and add to homemade soup.
Steve E
agree
Dianne Booker
This is a great idea. Id like to hear more about this process like how you dry and what you use to grind.
Rachael
I have turned broccoli stalks into pesto for some time, blanch them including any leaves, drain, add to food processor with a tablespoon oil, couple of cloves of garlic, pulse, them mix in chopped walnuts..
Neil Curgenven
That sounds lovely Neil and a great way to use up stalks! Thanks for sharing ^Tui Team
jenna
Great idea Steve, thanks for sharing!
jenna