Texel Greens, Ethiopian Kale
Fast-growing spring or fall greens with a savory flavor. I like this for hardy overwintering greens, and first-early spring greens. This compact variety was selected at the University of Texas as a fast-growing, tender green for salad mix and cooking. It is more heat-tolerant than other brassicas, though it still prefers temperatures in the 60s and 70s. These are small plants, that can be spaced closely together and harvested quickly, either as leaves or whole plants--plant and harvest them like radishes, but for the leaves rather than roots. The flavor is mild, much like broccoli, with an overtone of garlic and almonds. Recommended in Joy Larcom's important book, The Salad Garden. Sauteed and topped with eggs, it is my favorite quick supper during the long evenings of late spring. 200 seeds
Texel is a boon to seed-savers, because it is a different species from all other garden brassicas. It is an American selection of Brassica carinata, native to Ethiopia and the rest of Africa. So it won't cross with any of the cabbage/broccoli/lacinato kale/kohlrabi group (which are all B. oleracea) or Siberian Kale/Rutabaga (which is B napus) or the Turnips/Bok Choy/Mustard/Nappa group (which is Brassica rapa.)