The Tuscan kale in its tenderest form. The mature variety (also called Cavolo Nero or Nero di Toscana in its country of origin) is distinguished by its long bumpy blade-like leaves, dark green almost blue-tinted; in microgreens and sprouts you find that same slightly bluish tone on small heart-shaped cotyledons.

Classic Brassica flavour: mild, slightly pungent and mustardy, with a more pronounced mineral note than the broccoli sprouts already described in our pages. Tender and juicy as a sprout, firmer and crunchier as a microgreen.

Excellent like all sprouts in the family — on sandwiches, salads, bowls, garnishes for soups or pasta, and particularly successful on the Tuscan classics: crostini spread with ricotta and topped with Lacinato sprouts, ribollita (traditional bread-and-vegetable soup) scattered with microgreens at serving time. Like all Brassica sprouts, rich in sulforaphane.

• Soaking: not required (small seeds); optional 4-6 hours.
• Germination time: 2-3 days.
• Sprout harvest: 4-6 days after soaking begins.
• Microgreen harvest: 8-12 days after sowing.
• Yield: about 1 tsp of seeds produces a 20 × 20 cm tray of microgreens.
• Best uses: sandwiches, salads, garnishes on Italian cooking.