Kitchen Recycling Tip: Broccoli Stems

I have a problem that most moms would love to have: my boys love broccoli. They don’t to eat the entire broccoli stalk, though, only the florets. That leaves me with lots of leftover broccoli stems.

Most of my posts with kitchen recycling tips have been born from my own need to figure out what to do with something that I’d rather not waste or throw in the trash. I spend a little time searching for ideas, and then I pass the ideas I find on to you.

Here are 10 ideas I found for using the stems of broccoli after the florets have been devoured:

1. Make cream of broccoli soup. The base of this soup uses peeled broccoli stems. You don’t need to add the florets in at the end.
2. Peel and slice lengthwise to serve raw as crudités. (via Discuss Cooking)
3. Shredded broccoli stalks are an excellent in place of cabbage in coleslaw. (via The Kitchn)
4. Make broccoli stem pesto.
5. Pickle them.
6. Cut them into chunks and grill them. (via Chowhound)
7. Turn them into baby food.
8. Make Szechuan Stalk Stir Fry.
9. Save them with other vegetable odds and ends to make vegetable stock.
10. Make baked broccoli chips.

What do you do with the stems of broccoli?