Mea Culpa! Yes, a broccoli elastic is the wide rubber band that holds heads of broccoli together in the supermarket. We quilters find them great for folding over the needle for a good grip. They sell rubber "needle gripper" rubber circles in quilt shops if you want to buy one. You can also use pliers to pull a loaded needle through but they can bend the needle if you are not careful.
I sometimes forget that not everyone has the same level of quilting terms, experience or knowledge, sorry.