Robin Carroll-Mann wrote:
>
> I just saw that the 1861 edition of Mrs. Beeton is online at:
> http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au...ton/household/
>
> And, cross-referencing the thread on vegetable colors, the good lady
> mentions broccoli (purple and white).
> http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au.../chapter3.html
> I had not known that broccoli came in any color other than green. Can
> anyone comment on this?

Purple sprouting broccoli is quite common here in the UK. There are
several other colours too. My father used to grow some of the less
usual ones. Seeds are available from several merchants who specialize
on older varieties. The reason you don't often see them to buy in shops
is that the new fat green stuff is made more resistant to bugs and
produces a heavier crop, so is commercially a better bet than the older
but tastier varieties.

Pop into your local garden centre and see what they have available as
seeds. Here in the UK you can get the standard modern green stuff,
purple and yellow varieties, a white one, and some other variations on
the broccoli theme.

The Victorians used to grow some as decorative items, along with
brightly coloured decorative cabbages. These are making a come-back
here in the UK, particularly in municipal flower beds! Very odd they
look too, close up, but they make a hardy and cheerful splash of colour.
--
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