Curly Kale 'Cavolo Nero Of Tuscany'

Franchi - Curly Kale 'Cavolo Nero Of Tuscany'

Curly Kale 'Cavolo Nero Di Toscana' Seeds: The Tuscan Black Palm

'Cavolo Nero di Toscana' is an elegant, hardy, and highly nutritious Italian heirloom that stands apart from standard curly kales. Also known as Black Cabbage or Tuscan Kale, this variety produces long, narrow, heavily blistered, strap-like leaves of an intense dark blue-green, almost black colour. As the plant matures, its growth habit forms a distinctive, dramatic 'palm tree' shape, making it highly ornamental in the vegetable patch. Extremely popular in Italian cooking for dishes like Ribollita, it has a sweeter, more tender leaf than regular kale and its flavour actually improves after a frost, making it perfect for the long, cool seasons of the UK and Ireland.

• Flavour: Sweeter and more tender than standard kale; flavour is enhanced by cold weather.

• Winter Hardiness: Excellent cold tolerance, thriving in UK/Irish winters.

• Growth Habit: Unique tall, non-heading 'palm-tree' shape (often known as palmifolia).

Gardener's Tip - The 'Cut-and-Come-Again' Winter Harvest 

The secret to a successful, long harvest of Cavolo Nero is to pick correctly. Plant out seedlings in May to July in rich soil. When harvesting from September onwards, never take the terminal (top) bud. Instead, snap or cut the mature leaves from the bottom of the stem first. This "cut-and-come-again" method encourages the plant to continue growing upwards, maintaining its palm-like shape and constantly producing new, tender leaves from the crown throughout the coldest months.

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