The cultivation of Tuscan black cabbage

Black cabbage is a fundamental ingredient of Tuscan cuisine is found in ribollita and many other traditional peasant recipes. It is a plant of the cruciferous family, quite simple to grow because it is more resistant to disease and frost than many other cabbages.

It is also called Tuscan cabbage or black kale , due to the roughness of its leaves. Other more imaginative local names are col de palma and col de dinosaure.

It owes its “black” attribute to its richness in chlorophyll. which determines its color, it is a vegetable rich in beneficial properties for the body and with many culinary uses, often underestimated by the elite kitchen but always present in popular recipes taverns. Therefore, it is worth trying to grow this delicious cabbage in the garden.

Contents [Ocultar]

  • The black cabbage plant

  • Where is black cabbage grown?

  • How and when to sow

  • Cultivation of Tuscan cabbage

  • Diseases and vermin: The enemies of this cabbage

  • Use in cooking and nutritional properties

Contents

The black cabbage plant

This Tuscan cabbage is characterized by its large, lance-shaped black leaves with a rough, bulbous surface. Black cabbage in botany is called Brassica oleracea var. acephalous (or viridis). The term “headless” literally means “headless”, actually black cabbage don’t shape the ball like most other cabbages, but it has an erect stem with feathery leaves and reaches up to one meter in height. This becomes an advantage in terms of productivity in the orchard: instead of a single harvest, the vegetable continues to produce throughout its growth cycle.

Due to its ability to withstand low temperatures, it can be counted among winter vegetables, and it is one of the few garden plants that stretches in the middle of the cold season.

Where is black cabbage grown?

Black cabbage is a characteristic crop of Tuscany , in fact it is a very common vegetable especially in central Italy, especially along the western side of the peninsula. However, it is also excellently cultivated in the north, being a decidedly rustic plant.

Weather . tuscan cabbage do not suffer from the cold and suitable even for very cold winters. With its thick boiling leaves, it can even withstand ten degrees below zero. It even seems that the gel improves the quality of the leaves, making them more crunchy and tasty. This species of Brassicacea prefers gardens well exposed to the sun, where it can best develop its rich leaf system.

Ground. As for the soil, it is not a particularly demanding horticultural plant, however, black cabbage prefers fairly rich soils , nitrogen fertilization at planting time is therefore recommended to stimulate leaf development. Mature manure can be used or compost. The ground must be draining and not too dry, a preliminary shovel is useful.

How and when to sow

Planting period. The sowing period of black cabbage is quite extensive but it varies according to the zones, it can be sown from april to september . To prevent the plant from being exposed to the heat of the summer garden, it is advisable to sow it in the nursery in June or July, transplanting in September. If planted in a container, the transplant is done after about a month and a half.

Sixth of the installation. Due to the development both in height and in width of the cabbage, a minimum distance of half a meter between plants leaving one meter between the rows.

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