Why broccoli cabbage bloomed
A head of broccoli cabbage grows with many heads. Broccoli blooms after ripening. If the broccoli cabbage has bloomed, the gardener made a mistake in the care or did the wrong harvesting in the garden.
Reasons for flowering broccoli
When the cabbage blooms
Immediately after planting seedlings in open ground, they organize the care and feeding of the soil around the head of cabbage. Cabbage is unpretentious and can withstand temperature extremes; the vegetable rarely gets sick. Broccoli turned into color in the following cases:
- when the flowering of the vegetable began in the garden;
- when the broccoli immediately bloomed in the storage area.
In the first case, the gardener did not have time to harvest, and in the second, the technology of storing vegetables in the house was violated. Once the broccoli has gone into bloom, it should not be eaten or continued to be stored - flowering is a sign of decayed cabbage.
The importance of agricultural technology
Blooming broccoli cabbage is preceded by long-term care: cabbage is planted with seedlings. Before the first shoots, seedlings are stored in a greenhouse, and after that they are planted in open ground. For the normal ripening of a vegetable that can be eaten, the right conditions are created: watering is carried out 4 times a month after fertilizing the soil. Fertilization of the soil depends on its composition. The soil also affects the ripening period of the vegetable, as well as the cases of flowering.
Wrong harvesting regime
The main rule for harvesting is the timely cutting of ripe heads of cabbage. If you miss the moment, broccoli will bloom.
Its color grows quickly and covers the entire head of the cabbage in a few days. Blooming vegetables lose their tender juicy core, become tough and tasteless. Broccoli is grown for vitamins and micronutrients: if you overexpose a head of cabbage outdoors, it spoils and does not cook well - such a dish will not do any good.
The first signs of flowering
An overexposed vegetable is gradually changing - this is the first sign by which one can judge that cabbage is not suitable for consumption. In the normal state, cabbage is squeezed into dense, dark green buds. The head should be free of stains, signs of rot or dry heads.
Be sure to monitor the state of the head of cabbage: by its appearance, the time of harvest is determined. Immediately before flowering, a head of cabbage extending from the main stem, its processes begin to turn yellow. Irregular yellow-brown spots appear first. Within a few days, the head of cabbage becomes covered with a characteristic color, which is difficult to get rid of.
If the cabbage is blooming, it is too late to pick it. The crop is cut and used for household needs (feeding livestock). Prudent housewives lend themselves to heat treatment, but it is no longer possible to get all the useful substances from cabbage. A product that has bloomed rarely causes negative reactions, but it is not recommended to eat it.
Improper storage
If stored improperly, cabbage will bloom
A healthy crop for sale or home storage can also bloom. Cabbage is stored in 2 ways:
- for a short period - within 2-3 days;
- for a long time - several weeks.
If you manage to grow a healthy vegetable without flowering, it is properly stored. Even a recently healthy head is capable of becoming covered with yellow flowers in a few days. In this case, the product loses all its useful properties.
Short-term storage
So that yellow flowers do not appear on a fresh head, the cabbage head is stored as fresh herbs. For this storage method, cabbage is cut without dividing into separate parts: the head of cabbage remains intact and without cuts. For its storage, a container with water is prepared, where a cut of the stem is placed.
If you overexpose cabbage in water, it will be covered with yellow flowers. This happens the next day, when the vegetable has gained moisture. If the cabbage is in bloom, you cannot cook it. If you freeze normally harvested cabbage, it does not bloom after freezing. This is one of the most reliable ways to prevent cabbage flowering.
Cold storage
Without preparation in the refrigerator, the vegetable will quickly deteriorate under normal conditions. Signs that the cabbage is unsuitable for consumption: Changed color of the head and flowering that covers most of the head. To prevent the appearance of inflorescences, it is necessary to properly prepare the place in the refrigerator.
A damp, squeezed napkin is laid at the bottom of the tray for storing vegetables (it should be clean and larger than the cabbage head). The head of cabbage is placed in a bag that cannot be closed, and then left on a napkin. Before placing the cabbage head in the refrigerator, it must not be washed or trimmed. If the inflorescences have already appeared, this storage method is not suitable. It is important to observe the neighborhood in the refrigerator: you cannot put apples or bananas next to it. The shelf life of cabbage without an inflorescence in this form is no more than 2 weeks.
Conclusion
Broccoli is a food that can be cooked. It retains useful properties and is easy to care for. In a normal state, no inflorescences should appear on the head. If the head of cabbage begins to bloom, the crop is completely ruined. High humidity leads to the formation of yellow flowers on the head. You cannot save such a product.