Brassica oleracea var. italica.

The original broccoli — the ancestor of every broccoli grown in North America today. Calabrese comes from Calabria, the southern tip of the Italian boot, where it has been selected since antiquity — Pliny the Elder already mentions green-inflorescence cultivars in the 1st century, and the Italian word broccolo ("the flowering crown of the cabbage") gave its name to the whole botanical category. It's with the waves of Italian immigration of the early 20th century that this variety crossed the Atlantic and conquered North American gardens and grocery stores, where it was for a long time synonymous with the word "broccoli" until the arrival of modern hybrids in the 1960s-70s.

An imposing plant 60 to 90 cm tall, which first produces a large firm, dense central head of deep green (12 to 20 cm across), made of tightly packed flower buds. But the real genius of this variety is in its name — Green Sprouting. Once the central head is harvested, the plant doesn't stop there: it keeps producing for weeks smaller secondary heads at the axil of each leaf, harvested continuously until the hard frosts of fall. A single plant can thus yield 1 to 2 kg of broccoli spread over two months, where modern hybrids give only a single big head and stop.

Classic broccoli flavour, firm and clean, without excessive bitterness. Sublime steamed tender with a drizzle of olive oil and garlic, oven-roasted at high heat until the edges caramelize (the current fashion that saves broccoli from over-long cooking), in Sicilian-style orecchiette con i broccoli with anchovies, garlic and breadcrumbs, or raw in florets as crudités.

Grower's tip: Indoor start 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting (April in Québec for a summer harvest, early June for a fall harvest). Like all cabbages, susceptible to the cabbage worm and other pests — insect netting from transplanting on. The secret for maximizing the harvest of side shoots: harvest the central head young, before it starts to relax into flowers, cutting on a slant above several intact leaves — the plant then devotes all its energy to developing its axillary buds, which will give the secondary shoots for the rest of the season. Keep the soil fertile through regular applications of compost or nitrogen to support that prolonged production.

• Open-pollinated. Biennial — flowering only occurs in the second year. Insect-pollinated; crosses with all other Brassica oleracea (cabbage, kale, cauliflower, etc.) — isolate rigorously for seed saving.
• Height: 60 to 90 cm.
• Maturity: 60 to 90 days after transplant for the central head, then continuous harvest of side shoots for 6 to 8 additional weeks.
• Exposure: full sun in spring and fall; part shade accepted in summer.
• Rich, deep, well-drained, slightly alkaline soil (pH 6.5-7.5). Space plants 45 to 60 cm apart.
• Indoor start 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting. For an extended season, sow in two waves: April (summer harvest) and early June (fall harvest). Strict rotation with other crucifers.