Broccoli Verdia F1 - Brassica oleracea italica

The Verdia F1 Broccoli Cabbage is a variety that produces beautiful compact bouquets with a fine grain. It is a vigorous broccoli with a very good taste. Sow from March to July for a harvest from June to October.

Offering beautiful firm bouquets, mostly green but sometimes purplish or white, the Broccoli Cabbage, commonly called Broccoli, is a vegetable whose flowers are consumed just before they bloom. It belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae) and bears the Latin name Brassica oleracea italica.

Although introduced to France by Catherine de Medici, under the name Italian Asparagus, Broccoli has only been cultivated on a large scale in France since the 1980s.

Originally from southern Italy, this cabbage, with a mild flavor, is now highly appreciated as it lends itself to various preparations. It is consumed quickly steamed and then prepared in various ways: quickly sautéed, gratin, quiche, puree, soup, etc. It is a low-calorie vegetable and rich in vitamin C.

Like almost all cabbages (Brussels sprouts being the exception), Broccoli Cabbage is a demanding vegetable, requiring excellent base fertilization and regular moisture.

NB: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavorful and/or early while being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting both for their homogeneity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to the next generations: it will therefore not be possible to recover the seeds for a subsequent sowing.

Harvest: Broccoli is harvested by cutting, with a knife, in two stages: first, the terminal bouquet is harvested, then the lateral bouquets.

Storage: Broccoli Cabbage does not keep very well. It is best to consume it quickly after harvesting. It can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it after blanching it for 3 minutes in salted boiling water.

Gardener's tip: In recent years, the Cabbage Midge (Contarinia nasturtii), a small winged piercing and sucking fly, has been causing havoc on Broccoli Cabbages in certain regions such as Brittany. We recommend opting for prevention by installing an insect-proof cover, tightly secured on market garden hoops, throughout the flight period, from mid-May to mid-July. These covers are easy to set up and reusable to protect, for example, your carrot and leek crops.