Brassica rapa var. ‘Turnip greens’ SEEDS

Brassica rapa ‘Turnip Greens’ seeds grow into turnip greens the leafy tops of the common turnip, cultivated specifically for their edible leaves and stems rather than the root, a staple green vegetable of southern USA (American Soul Food tradition), southern Italy and southern Europe more broadly. Brassica rapa L. is the turnip species a complex of wild and cultivated forms originating in Central Asia and the Mediterranean, described by Linnaeus (1753). Turnip greens are the traditional non-root-forming leafy form, related to cima di rapa and mizuna; they produce large, tender leaves with a mildly peppery, mustard-like flavour. Highly nutritious: rich in vitamins K, A, C, folate and calcium. Multi-use: food, animal fodder. Family Brassicaceae.

Full sun to partial shade; fertile, moist soils; cool temperate conditions. Fast-growing; harvest young leaves regularly to encourage continued production. Sow spring or autumn; bolt-prone in summer heat. Easy and productive cool-season green.

• Turnip greens = leafy form of B. rapa grown for leaves, not root; Soul Food tradition (USA); cima di rapa relative
• B. rapa L. (Linnaeus, 1753); Central Asian and Mediterranean origin; mildly peppery mustard-like flavour
• Highly nutritious: vitamins K, A, C, folate, calcium; fast-growing cool-season green; multi-use food and fodder
• Genus Brassica: 37 species; Eurasia; Family Brassicaceae; Order Brassicales
• Full sun/partial shade; fertile moist soils; cool temperate; harvest young leaves; sow spring or autumn; Brassicaceae

Brassica rapa ‘Turnip Greens’ bridges the culinary traditions of the American South and the Mediterranean a fast-growing, nutrient-dense leafy green that transforms what would otherwise be the tops of turnip plants into a valued crop in their own right, whether in the Southern American pot-likker tradition or in the Italian kitchen that values tender, mildly bitter greens.

IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.