Do you love the look of lush greenery indoors, but you’re not ready to commit to anything that requires a lot of maintenance?Dracaena houseplants are ideal for busy, abs
06.06.2023 - 17:46 / gardenerspath.com / Heather Buckner
How to Grow Napini KaleI love kale. I could happily eat it at any time, cooked in any style. My family, however, isn’t quite so enthralled.
It has taken a bit of prodding and experimentation on my end, but I have finally found a few varieties that they can get excited about too.
Napini is a term for the tender flowering shoots of kale plants, typically harvested from Siberian kale varieties.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
They are so sweet and delicious, even my family of skeptics can get on board.
What Is Napini?Napini, also known as kale rabe (and not to be confused with broccoli rabe), refers to the budding stems and leaves of the kale plant when they are harvested for use as a vegetable.
Harvesting kale for napini is done in the second year, once the plant starts to bolt, and before the flowers appear.
Kale is a cold hardy biennial. This means if it’s planted in late summer or fall, it will spend the first season developing strong roots and leaves.
After going dormant through the winter, growth will begin again in spring, and the plant will bolt – sending up flowering stalks, which eventually set seed prior to finishing its life cycle.
The flowering buds that shoot up during the spring of the second season can be harvested and enjoyed in much the same way as broccoli rabe or broccolini.
By leaving your plants in the ground, you’re getting a harvest of leaves in the first season, and a harvest of flower stalks when the plants bolt in the spring.
While any variety of kale, B. oleracea var. acephala, is edible at this bolting stage, the Russo-Siberian cultivars of B. napus var. pabularia, are specifically grown for napini, and they have a mild,
Do you love the look of lush greenery indoors, but you’re not ready to commit to anything that requires a lot of maintenance?Dracaena houseplants are ideal for busy, abs
With magnificently colorful blooms that put on a dazzling display all summer long, it is no wonder zinnias are such popular flowers.What’s more, these show-stopping annuals are in
One of my favorite summer activities is roaming through the woodlands near my home in Vermont, foraging for lowbush blueberries.A few summers ago, I decided to bring the berries to me and planted severa
Morning glories, Ipomoea purpurea, are quick-growing vines, popular for their colorful flowers that open each morning from summer until the first frost of fall.Reaching between six and 10 feet in height,
Living in a northern climate with long cold winters, I am always looking for dramatic indoor plants to liven up my home.With its elegant, arching fronds, the areca palm add
The large, eye catching blooms of amaryllis, Hippeastrum x hybridum, can add astonishing color to the garden and make for perfect indoor displays.Suitable for outdoor cultivation in
Are you sick of mowing all the time? Why not replace that time consuming, resource draining lawn with a beautiful meadow of low-growing chamomile?Perfect for slopes and other hard to
Asparagus is one of those crops that requires a decent dose of patience to grow.This perennial veggie takes a few years before you ca
I’ll never understand why garlic scapes aren’t more popular. Outside of the community of garlic growers, most people I talk to have never even heard of them!Most grocery stores don’t sell them
One of the things I was most eager for when I became a homeowner was finally having the space and time to grow my own fruit and nut trees.I was especially excited when I lear
One of my favorite things about kale is its easy and prolonged harvest. It’s the ultimate cut-and-come-again option for your veggie garden.We link to vendor
When I began my studies as an herbalist, I was immediately drawn to wanting to learn more about motherwort.This medicinal herb has a reputation for redu