You can include broccoli in a cold salad on the salad bar, as a stand-alone side dish, in an entree like a pasta, in Mac and Cheese, or as a taste test item. Included on this website are featured curriculum connections for broccoli, along with recipes for food service departments and for students and their families.
Agriculture Facts:
- Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family, making it a cruciferous vegetable.
- Although it may be known as the “golden state”, California produces 90% of our nations broccoli. Perhaps we should rename California as the “broccoli state!”
- Broccoli thrives in moderate to cool climates and is propagated by seeds, either sown directly in the field or in plant beds to produce transplants. The heads, or florets, reach harvest in 60 to 150 days, depending upon the variety and the weather.
- The United States is the 3rd largest broccoli producer in the world (after China and India).
Nutrition and Food Facts:
- Broccoli is a very good source of dietary fiber, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, choline, vitamin B1, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), potassium and copper.
- Broccoli is also a good source of antioxidants, although adding some additional herbs and spices, such as mustard seed, to it can dramatically increase the antioxidant level.
- Broccoli is a good source of magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, zinc, calcium, iron, niacin, and selenium.
- Want something high in Vitamin C but don’t feel like eating fruit? Broccoli is very high in Vitamin C, making 1 cup of chopped broccoli the Vitamin C equivalent of an orange. One cup of raw chopped broccoli will give you your entire daily needed intake.
History and Lore:
- Broccoli originated in Italy off of the Mediterranean. It has been eaten there since the time of the ancient Romans in the 6th Century BC.
- Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, was a fan of broccoli, importing the seeds from Italy to plant at Monticello. He recorded planting the vegetable there as early as May of 1767.
- In 1724, Philip Miller’s “Gardener’s Dictionary” referred to broccoli as “Italian asparagus”.
- The word “broccoli” comes from the Italian plural of broccolo, which means “the flowering crest of a cabbage”, and is the diminutive form of brocco, meaning “small nail” or “sprout.”
- Broccoli has been around for more than 2000 years.
Spread the word and build partnerships
Don’t be a solo act. Invite your community to the table!
Promote in-house:
- Announcements
- Newsletters
- Website
- Social media
- Events (health fairs, open houses, garden working events, back to school, holiday activities, parents night, sporting events)
- Meetings (PTO, wellness committee, board of directors, staff professional learning days)
- Food tastings during events
Promote in your community:
- Report on activities and share pictures with news sources
- Share with community partners for their websites, social media and newsletters
- Post fliers at public places (libraries, health centers, non-profit hospitals, garden groups, local farm hubs, farmers markets, health agencies)
- Ask students to create and publicize local food stories – include photos or create videos
Invite others onsite to get involved:
- Build impact by engaging culinary arts, Future Farmers of America, wellness, botany, ecocentric and garden programs
- Create relationships and engage non-profit hospitals, garden groups, local farm hubs, farmers markets, health agencies and advocates
- Find support in local culinary leaders and businesses
Celebration tips
Host an autumn celebration timed with the final broccoli harvest in Illinois during October to November. Create dishes, or share tastings using local broccoli, pumpkin and other fall veggies like carrots, cabbage or Brussels sprouts in your cafeteria, at garden club, in the classroom or during a seasonal sporting event like football or cross country. Play the Monster’s Don’t Eat Broccoli video in pre-k and K classrooms or in the cafeteria to engage your younger eaters.
Do you need ideas for decorating, or creating posters? Check out an easy way to create autumn trees using stalks of broccoli dipped in poster paint here. Add spots of autumn colors representing the falling leaves and list broccoli fun facts or nutrition information to educate your eaters. Involve kids from K-2 to help create posters while learning about nutrition as a classroom art project!
Curricular Connections and Activities
Early childcare/preschool:
- Explore the book Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks.
- Pre-K activities and learning for veggies at 25 Playful Veggie Activities.
K-12:
- Pick a better snack from the Iowa Department of Public Health lesson plan for K-1 students. Click here to view the PDF.
- Vermont’s Harvest of the Month Harvest Lesson for K-5 students. Click here to view the PDF.
- Get Healthy Clark County’s Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program broccoli lessons for K-5 students. Click here to view the PDF.
- Broccoli Lesson from University of Illinois Extension in Champaign. Click here to view and download the PDF.
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Recipes
We have many recipes for you to look through in our Recipe Index! Here you can see take-home recipes for use in the community as well as more choices for your cafeteria. You will find hot and cold recipes for most foods. Be sure to use the provided icons on your menu!
Featured Food Service Recipe #1: Cool Summer Broccoli Salad
Featured Food Service Recipe #2: Fast Five Veggie Stir Fry
Featured CACFP Recipe: Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
Featured Home Recipe: Broccoli and Cheese Muffins