Throwaway Nutrition

Don't neglect the butt. A cup of broccoli stalks (pare away the tough outer skin and you can julienne or cube the insides for salads or use as crudites with a creamy dip) has slightly  more calcium than a cup of ice cream, with zero fat. Broccoli leaves offer more  vitamin  A than the stalks and this is the only part of the plant supplying vitamin E.  Likewise the core of the cauliflower is rich in vitamin C and the cauliflower leaves we often discard supply more calcium, iron and vitamins and C than the flowery heads we usually opt for.