Deitrich's Wild Broccoli Raab

Brassica rapa Origin: Elmer, New Jersey Improvement status: Landrace Seeds per packet: ~200 ($3.75) Bulk seeds per packet: ~800 ($10.50) Germination tested 10/2024: 72% Life cycle: Biennial EFN INTRODUCTION. The directors of the Experimental Farm Network selected this exciting plant from the feral leaf turnips growing at the Deitrichs' farm in Salem County, NJ. They assume the plants escaped from an Italian farmer generations ago. Similar plants grow across the southern New Jersey region, but the plants at the Deitrichs' farm had already been informally selected by Chris & Sandy for years when EFN founders Nate Kleinman & Dusty Hinz took over selection. It's known locally as "wild broccoli raab", and some folks eat it every day it's in season — and the season starts many weeks before anything else, often growing through snow. It's delicious raw or cooked (and especially good in scrambled eggs or just sauteed in some olive oil). A readily self-seeding biennial, it is best plante