An heirloom variety with legions of fans in Italy and England who are mad for its beautiful deep-purple sprouts and high nutritional content. Introduced to the U.S. in the second half of the 19th century, this long-season variety is also a favorite of American gardeners and chefs. Enjoy raw for beautiful color in salads and crudites or cook as you would regular broccoli and the color turns the traditional green. Once the central head is harvested, the plants continue to produce plentiful side shoots. In long-season regions, you can start it indoors and plant outside in early spring-or, if you like, plant in late fall, allow the plants to overwinter and harvest in spring. Extremely cold-hardy. Harvest in about 120 days if growing in summer in long-season areas or about 200 days if overwintering.