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What Purple sprouting brocolli do you find gives the best harvest and do any of you eat the leaves

I have tried brocoli on numerous occasions without much success - any tips would be appreciated

Mine do look great but not many heads on only tiy ones

Shirl, I'm going away tomorrow for a week & just stripped my 4 plants for a broccoli beano tonite...was thinking as I did so that I've never had such fine heads....quick look says that they are merely 'early purple sprouting' from.......ta-da!!! WILCO  ;D  I was wondering if the weather conditions have just suited them more this year?

The leaves are relatively tough but will boil down well for soup stock...
:)

Best? There are so many - harvesting from July to April - that there is no 'best'. Each has its day.

Leaves? Most PSB, espcially the commercial variety in now, is 8/10ths leaf & a tiny head. All picked as one. I much prefer the varieties that are mostly tender stem. WSB is best for this.

Actual leaves? No way!!

Had some with our roast yesterday cut the stem with leaves and purple sprout. Wouldn't just eat the head as wouldn't get enough to feed my lot and don't think your really mean't too either.

Of course not!

But you take the whole leafy/flowery shoot - as shown - as opposed to the main plant leaves??

The longer the stem, the more succulent.

I have had some Calabrese survive this mild winter and I have been picking a few spears each week since Xmas.

The previous year I lost the lot to frost!!

Definitely been worth the experiment!