It's a broccolini bonanza

The demand for Tasmanian broccolini is at an all-time high and it’s being consumed as quick as it’s picked at Hagley, Northdown and Riana in the stage’s north.

Its mild, sweet flavour with a slight peppery edge has become a staple in households since Japan’s Sakata Seed Company produced the hybrid of broccoli and gai lan, or Chinese kale, in 1994 and Perfection Fresh brought it to Australia in 1999.

Mark Waasdorp is the broccolini boss for CloudAg - overseeing teams of seasonal workers from Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vanuatu who have worked with him for around eight years.

For the past two years with CloudAg, which supplies Perfection Fresh with broccolini to go into major supermarket chains around the country, he has kept a close eye on operations at Hagley and Northdown.

“We grow it, harvest it, pack it and send most of it interstate – the product is on the shelf in as quick as three days after being picked,” Mark said.

“The broccolini grown here is A1 – we have the right climate, right rainfalls, good irrigation and great soil – that all combines to make a great product.”

The CloudAg team has been working hard to keep up with the fast-growing greens - new shoots mature every day and each plant is picked 12 to 14 times over several weeks.

“This season had a slow start after a long spring but over the last month-and-a-half it has really sped up,” Mark said.

“When the weather is right, we pick every two days, and if there’s a full moon, it virtually springs up overnight.

“We might not achieve quite the yield we experienced last season but we’re still packing extraordinary amounts, it’s really in demand.”

Proving to be healthy and great value for money, broccolini is edible from stem to tip.

Stir-fry is the most common usage and just half a cup of cooked broccolini provides around a third of the recommended daily folate to support immunity, it contains 19 percent of daily Vitamin C requirements to help reduce fatigue and support mental clarity and it delivers 2g of fibre for a healthy gut.

Like all good things, there’s plenty of savvy farming required to keep it pest-free and plentiful.

“It’s a very intense crop, there’s a lot of hard work involved,” Mark said.

“We rely on having experienced pickers who really know what we want and we hope to be growing even more next season due to the number of orders we’re getting.”

One pan Chicken and Broccolini Noodle Stir fry

Ingredients 

2 bunches Broccolini®

400g packet shelf-fresh, wholegrain wok-ready noodles

600g chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced crossways

175g Minicaps baby capsicums, sliced

4 green shallots, thinly sliced

2 tbs reduced salt soy sauce

2 tbs maple syrup

2 tbs unsalted, dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Method

Step 1 Cut the Broccolini in half crossways.

Step 2 Place the noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stir to separate the noodles. Stand for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water. Drain well.

Step 3 Heat a lightly oiled, large non-stick frying pan or wok over high heat until hot. Add half the chicken in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until light golden and just cooked through. Remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Step 4 Add the Broccolini, Minicaps baby capsicums and 1 tablespoon of water to the hot pan. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the Broccolini is just tender.

Step 5 Return all the chicken to the pan with the noodles, green shallots, and combined soy sauce and maple syrup. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, until hot.

Step 6 Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve. For a touch of heat, serve sprinkled with sliced fresh chilli or dried chilli flakes.