Lacinato Kale Seeds

“Dinosaur” Leaves, Savoyed and Flavorful!
Grown in Italy since the 18th century, and at Monticello by Jefferson!
Genus: Brassica
Species: oleracea
Variety: Lacinato
Item Form: (P) Pkt of 100 seeds
Days to Maturity: 62
Fruit Color: Black
Habit: Upright
Seeds Per Pack: 100
Plant Height: 24 in
Additional Characteristics: Cool Season, Edible, Heirloom
Foliage Color: Black, Blue Green
Harvest Season: Early Winter, Late Fall, Late Winter, Mid Fall, Mid Winter
Light Requirements: Full Sun
Moisture Requirements: Dry, Moist,  well-drained
Resistance: Cold Hardy
Soil Tolerance: Clay, Normal,  loamy, Poor
Uses: Beds, Cuisine, Outdoor, Winter Interest

62 days from setting out transplants.

Grow the same delectable kale that has been a mainstay of Italian cuisine and international fine dining since the 1700’s! Lacinato Kale (also known as Dinosaur Kale, Tuscan Kale, and even Flat Black Cabbage!) is an heirloom variety that delivers the best tasting leaves you will ever eat, all on vigorous, high-yielding plants that love a little frost.

Even if this kale weren’t so delicious, growing the plants would be fun. They’re just so bold — the leaves are very long and slender, reaching 2 feet long but just a few inches wide, with a heavily savoyed texture that looks almost bubbled. Depending on the time of year and the temperature, they range from blue-green to darkest forest-green to nearly black.

And these leaves are harvested from underneath, at the base, so that after you’ve picked a good many, you’re left with a plant that looks like a mini palm tree — leading to another of Lacinato Kale’s many nicknames, Palm Tree Kale! Expect to do plenty of harvesting, too, over the long season of this robust plant!

Lacinato Kale is prepared just like other varieties. Although it can be eaten raw, it is more frequently blanched and then used in soups, stews, casseroles, and side dishes. It holds up well to reheating, keepig both its color and flavor nicely.

Begin the seeds indoors, transplanting when they have at least 2 sets of true leaves. Space the plants 3 feet apart in sun-soaked, light soil. Frost sweetens the flavor. Pkt is 100 seeds.