"Petey the Wonder Dog" > wrote in message
news
> Far as I can tell, someone wrote:
>>Did she do something wrong, is that the way the
>>stuff is supposed to taste?
>
> No one likes broccoli rabe. It tastes like lawn clippings.
> It can't be improved, only masked.
>
> A few years ago it was "in" so people ate it, or at least ordered it in
> restaurants, then hid it under a napkin.
>
> Anyone who says they like it is lying.

Well....not really. Like arugula, broccoli rabe is a LOT better when grown
in cool conditions. Since that's a vague term, I'll offer specifics based on
the only garden environment I know - my own, in Rochester NY. You plant the
stuff outdoors at the same time as peas, maybe late March, early April. You
plant more every week because garden horrors will kill some of the plants.
By mid-May, the stuff's ready, delicious, and about 1/10th as bitter as what
you buy in the store.

If it gets unusually warm in late May, the rest of the crop will be more
bitter than your earlier plants, but still better than store-bought. By
June, the stuff will be useless.

In mid-August, you plant some more, knowing that it will mature over a
period of 4 weeks in the fall. The chilly weather does amazing things for
it, so it's better than the spring crop. Not only is it better than what's
in the store, it seems like a whole different vegetable.

If you ever have a chance to grow it, you might like it. If not, the
experiment won't take up much space in the garden.