No reason at all that it wouldn't work. I use the stalks all the time when I make soup (unless they seem particularly "woody").

The stems are chockful of good nutrients and flavor. As tough as they seem raw, the stems soften up when cooked.

I peel the outside of those stems and use them in stir fry's and even eat them raw. That outside coat is the tough part.

Boil them until tender then puree in the food processor use it in soups and sauces. You can easily freeze it that way too.

I do what nanny98 does. Peel the stem.
It is wonderful as a raw veggie snack or in salads or cooked!

When my son was at home, I peeled the stalks and he gobbled them up~~~raw. I just cut off a small part at the bottom then steam it all. No waste here;)

Or, you could just keep feeding them to your 4 footed friends. I always think a little added fresh vegetables to pets' diets is good for them.

I'm sure they appreciate it :)

Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the tough outer layer off the stems. Then just eat them along with the florets. They are delish. I like a little salt, butter and lemon or line juice on my broccoli. I steam it.

my bil used to do that to asparagas, as well...but they lived in a growing area and my sister used all the tender slender ones..

.what annoys me is some stores don't store it properly..won't buy it, either...(upright in an ice bath)

Peel them first before you freeze them, because the skin would still be tough in your soup unless you were pureeing it,

When I eat broccoli I use all the stem except for the woody last inch bit on the bottom which I cut off. I just peel it. I love it in my broccoli salad or just to eat raw as I am preparing the rest of the broccoli.

Funny, since the canary, and then the chickens, loved the florets so much I used to give them those and I would eat the stems LOL. Although, I do like them (peeled, of course). Raw or cooked.

Since seeing that chickens will eat just about anything (except for a few of my cooking adventures...did you know that a chicken could GAG?) and the canary has passed away, I eat the entire thing myself.

Dances.

I saw on a TV cooking show, you can puree cauliflower, add a little milk and use it as a sauce. No reason you can't use broccoli the same way.

Dances, your comment about the birds reminded me of the cockatiel and budgie I used to have. They sure did love their breakfast salads! I'd chop up broccoli, a bit of hard boiled egg, jalopeno pepper, and other goodies for them....oh, my!

Thanks guys!
We do eat the stalks, but not every time. Sometimes by the time I take the knobs and the tough stalk off, there isn't much of the edible portion left! lol

"the lads" were referencing my worms, and they love broccoli.

At least now I know I can freeze the stalks without peeling and just cook them, and make soup. The soup does get pureed, then cheese added.

I'd think you could also add it to the kettle when you make stock. Or use it as the base when you slow cook something like a pot roast.

It's like cabbage core. Many people toss it, but many eat it as a snack. Kind of bothers me seeing the TV "chefs" that toss so much of this kind of stuff and not even mention alternate uses. People actually give credibility to these people.

Darn few of them went through the Dirty Thirties.

o j