Gardening: Consider Broccoli Rabe

I’m growing broccoli rabe this spring for the first time in a few years. I don’t know many, if any, gardeners around here who grow this interesting vegetable, and that’s too bad. It is so easy to grow, quick to harvest and tastes delicious (at least to me).

Also known as rapini, Italians call it Cima di Rapa. This vegetable is a member of the cruciferous family of plants, which includes cabbage, mustard greens, broccoli and cauliflower. Its immature flower heads resemble broccoli florets. The stems, flower heads and leafy greens are all edible.

Rapini might be an acquired taste for some folks. It possesses a slight bitterness along with hints of mustard and nutty flavor. I love to saute it simply in olive oil and garlic.

Now is the time to plant them. I’ve never seen rapini available as transplants from a nursery. They’re easy enough to grow from seed. The seeds are tiny, just like mustard seeds. I sprinkle them on top of some loose soil and gently rake them in. Like any vegetable crop, they benefit from amending the soil with compost and some organic fertilizer.

In Italy, the vegetable comes in several varieties differentiated by how fast they grow. There’s “Quarantina,” one of the earliest rapinis that mature in 28-33 days, depending on the wether. Then there’s “Sessantina,” which is ready to harvest in 35-40 days. A late-maturing variety known as “Novantina” grows in about 50-55 days. Finally there is “Centoventina,” the latestmaturing variety that’s ready to harvest in 120 days.

Italian gardeners often plant all of the varieties at one time. That way, they can continuously harvest throughout the season as each one reaches maturity.

Rapini seeds from American suppliers may or may not differentiate between these varieties. I’ve always gotten seeds from the Italian company Franchi/Sementi, which are available from the American distributor Seeds from Italy. Find them online at www. growitalian.com.

I’ve kind of forgotten about rapini in the last couple of years. But a few weeks ago, while digging through my seed collection, I found some old rapini seeds from 2020. I knew the germination rate would be poor since the seeds were so old. But I sowed them thickly in a row a couple of weeks ago, and at least a few dozen plants have already sprouted. I can’t wait for the harvest. If you plant rapini, be sure to harvest the florets before they bloom. Once the true flowers appear, the plants quickly die.