General Information
Purple baby broccoli is distinguished by its small loose clusters of florets sprouting from a slender stem that also produce side shoots and bladed leaves. The floret clusters and leaves have a trademark violet hue with pistachio green undertones. Purple baby broccoli’s flavor is a concentration of nuttiness, peppery notes, subtle sweetness and the natural cruciferousness associated with all Brassica vegetables. It has a tender texture and a firm snappy bite.
History
Purple broccoli is a strain of Sprouting broccoli that was developed by Dr. Gray of Wellesbourne, England. It requires an unusually lengthy growing season, with planting in late spring, overwintering for the rest of the year and harvesting in early Spring the following year. The long length of time and multiple seasons it takes to bring crops to harvest can be cost, space and time prohibitive. Thus, Purple broccoli is an uncommon commercial variety limited in exposure primarily to Italy, United Kingdom and Southern California. Market expansion for Purple Sprouting broccoli varieties is almost certain as breeders recently developed a hybrid called Bordeaux that does not require overwintering.
