"Kyle Phillips" > wrote in message
...
>
> "zxcvbob" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> ...
>> Ray wrote:
>> > My wife recently bought something called broccoli rabe...
>>
>> It is the flowering tops from turnip or rape plants.
>>
>> > ...and it was so bitter that we couldn't eat it. Did she do something
>> > wrong, is that the way the stuff is supposed to taste?
>>
>> It is supposed to taste like that. :-P
>>
>
> Well, yes and no. It is bitter to very bitter, and if it falls into that
> very bitter spectrum I blanch it and squeeze out some of the moisture,
> which
> takes with it quite a bit of the bitterness, bringing what remains down to
> manageable levels. In Italy it's a winter vegetable, and I've heard say
> that
> as the season progresses it gets even bitterer.
>
> Kyle
> http://italianfood.about.com
>
>

You heard it said right. Cool weather is when it's at its best. From the
Burpee catalog:


Broccoli Raab (Heirloom) Spring
HEIRLOOM. This gourmet treat is also one of the quickest maturing leafy
vegetables.
50-60 days. One of the quickest maturing leafy vegetables, this ancient,
"non-bulbing" turnip is flavorful and nutritious. It grows quickly into bud
in early spring or in fall. The single 6" long shoots, no larger than a
quarter, are like small, lanky broccoli heads. Shoots have a more tangy
taste, that makes it excellent raw in salads or lightly cooked with garlic
and olive oil.
GARDEN HINTS: Grows best in cool weather and full sun.