Asda's Broccoli fightback!

[GROWLER]

Dunno if I've spelt that right like?  

It was pointed out to me recently by a grumpy old blue rinse pensioner, that Asda don't trim the stalks off their Broccili's, and we, the paying customer, are in essence paying for stuff that goes into the bin.

Brocilli's in hand, I proceeded to snap the stalks off for her, much to her delight.
This has now  become an obsession for me, and I make quite a song and dance about it,  proudly snapping off these 4" stalks in front of fellow shoppers on every visit now. I'm very pleased to say others are following my example.
Stuff you Asda.


Have I started summat here, or is this common practice througout Asda stores UK wide?

Sad arn'I?

[Miss Demeanour]

So are you working you way up to tearing telephone directories in half 

Can't say I would do that to broccoli but have to known to tear off loads of leaves off cauliflowers and the like ....stuff where if you are paying by the lb then it does make a difference 

[Barman]

So are you working you way up to tearing telephone directories in half 

Can't say I would do that to broccoli but have to known to tear off loads of leaves off cauliflowers and the like ....stuff where if you are paying by the lb then it does make a difference 

By the kilo surely? 

[GROWLER]

So are you working you way up to tearing telephone directories in half  

Can't say I would do that to broccoli but have to known to tear off loads of leaves off cauliflowers and the like ....stuff where if you are paying by the lb then it does make a difference  

  mmmmm, hadn't thought of that one. I'll try it tonight. Tar.

You've got to be dead vicious with the stalks, or they just bend.
Any other top tips?

[Miss Creant Commander of the picklement and baking BAb(Hons)]

I have been known to do this and much to my shame, removing the stalks and stems from vine tomatoes.

[Barman]

I have been known to do this and much to my shame, removing the stalks and stems from vine tomatoes.

[Miss Creant Commander of the picklement and baking BAb(Hons)]

Stop laughing now otherwise I might be inclined to shout at you.

[GROWLER]

I have been known to do this and much to my shame, removing the stalks and stems from vine tomatoes.

I pluck the green tops off bog standard toms. They must weigh, mmmmmm.. ..at least 0.00001 of a gramme.

[Barman]

Stop laughing now otherwise I might be inclined to shout at you.

[Snoopy]

Leaving the little   like green stalks in tomatoes stops them from ripening too quickly. I would never buy tomatoes that had these removed.

As for leaves on cauliflower and stalks on broccoli ~ most supermarkets do offer the choice of "Prepared" or "Loose", the prepared products will be completely trimmed.... they charge extra for this to offset the work involved and the shorter shelf life (check the best before on those items that have their stalks/leaves removed against the same items that have stalks/leaves on). A good vegetable department manager in a supermarket or a half way decent greengrocer knows that a certain amount of both does help to preserve the vegetables and should also recognise the difference between scratching his arse and tearing it (i.e what is ripping customers off and what is good product care).

How do I know this? ~ My first ever job was in Fine Fare in Southampton as an assistant on the Fruit and Veg department ~ I left school and moved from Saturday Boy to full time without bothering to tell my parents or the school when the job was offered, when the authorities finally caught up with me I joined the RAF rather than go back to school.

Of course you have the right to choose which way you want to buy the products and the supermarkets have the right to refuse to sell them to you if you wander around wrecking their produce. I also know of people who do cook and eat the cauliflower leaves along with the "flower" and also people who do cook and eat the broccoli stalks ~ we tend to in this house. Good roughage! The only use for the green stalks on tomatoes is to pull them out when you want to eat the fruit (yes tomato is a fruit not a vegetable) and place them on your wife's/daughter's salad and tell them it's a

[GROWLER]

You my man dog, never cease to amaze me with your seemingly never ending barrage of information and tireless list of previous employments.

I'd have to draw a line under eating broc.stalks though.

[Barman]

I like broc stalks... 

[Snoopy]

You my man dog, never cease to amaze me with your seemingly never ending barrage of information and tireless list of previous employments.

I'd have to draw a line under eating broc.stalks though.

Never had a real career path I'm afraid ~ just worked today to be able to afford to work tomorrow, so I have always taken any job that paid more than the one I had. I have picked up a lot of useless information over the 47 years since I left school but the pension plan is awful.

Meanwhile the thinner of the broccoli stalks are nice in stews and casseroles. I remove the "woody" bits and then slice them lengthways to make them easier to cook until soft, picked that idea up in France where nothing is wasted. With the cauliflower leaves I am often amazed that people serve cauliflower and cabbage on the same plate when all they have to do is remove the thick "spine" from the cauli leaves and shred the remainder to produce what is to all intents and purposes cabbage. People would rather throw it away it seems........ We used to keep pigs when I was a lad and all stalks and "hard" bits of veg went into the pig feed anyway, so what they can eat, so can we. Simples!

[Snoopy]

I like broc stalks... 

So you believed mother when she said they would give you hairs on your chest did you? 

[Barman]

I like broc stalks... 

So you believed mother when she said they would give you hairs on your chest did you? 

Yes... it didn't bloody work tho...