Broccoli Salad

I had never eaten much broccoli growing up. Then I married Blaine and discovered broccoli, asparagus, kohlrabi, and Chinese cabbage growing in the Harvey garden.  Lee Ed and Elaine’s garden was a thing of beauty, with rarely a weed in sight. Blaine inherited his parents’ ability to grow food, and every summer we grow broccoli in our garden. The good news is that it is tender and delicious; the bad news is that it is all ready at the same time. We eat it steamed, stir-fried, and grilled with other vegetables in a foil packet. We give it away to our friends and family.  We grow tired of cooked broccoli, so another way to prepare it with a different texture and taste is to make raw broccoli salad. The recipe I use comes from a John Deere cookbook titled Kitchen Traditions: A Collection of Favorite Recipes from John Deere, a gift from my son.  The recipe is good as it is, but do not be afraid to play with the ingredients. Today I made it with dried cranberries instead of raisins and cut the recipe in half. I never use as much bacon as the recipe says, usually just four or five slices adds enough flavor without too much fat.

Eventually, we reach our limit of eating broccoli and let it bloom into tiny yellow flowers that attract tiny white butterflies. Blaine grumbles about it going to waste, and I tell him I like the flowers and the butterflies!

 Broccoli Salad

2 bunches of broccoli             

1 cup sunflower seeds            

1 cup raisins

1 medium onion

1 lb. of bacon

Dressing ingredients:

1 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons vinegar

Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Fry bacon until crisp, drain and crumble. Mix all other ingredients with the broccoli and toss with the dressing. The salad is best if it is refrigerated for at least an hour to absorb the flavors. It can even be made the day before.