Broccoli, Baby!

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae) in which the large flower bud and stalk are eaten as a vegetable. The word broccoli comes from the Italian plural of broccolo, which means "the flowering crest of a cabbage", and is the diminutive form of brocco, meaning "small nail" or "sprout".

Broccolini, a very popular hybrid from Japan, can be very difficult to obtain.

There are many types of broccoli. The most familiar is Calabrese broccoli, often referred to simply as "broccoli", named after Calabria in Italy. It has large (10 to 20 cm) green heads and thick stalks. It is a cool season annual crop. Sprouting broccoli has a larger number of heads with many thin stalks. 

Purple sprouting broccoli

Purple cauliflower is a type of broccoli grown in Europe and North America. It has a head shaped like cauliflower, but consisting of tiny flower buds. It sometimes, but not always, has a purple cast to the tips of the flower buds. There are, of course, many other varieties of broccoli. Chinese broccoli (Kai lan/gai lan), is grown for the stem more than the flower bud. It has a sweeter taste than regular broccoli.

Romanesco

Romanesco superficially resembles a cross between a cauliflower and broccoli; it is chartreuse in color, and its form is strikingly fractal in nature. Broccolini comes to us from Japan. Though it’s sometimes confused for baby broccoli, it is actually a cross between broccoli (B. oleracea var. italica) and gai-lan (B. oleracea var. alboglabra) that makes for a sweet, thin-stemmed, dark leafy green with small florets.

Though often thought of as a relative of broccoli, rapini, sometimes called "broccoli raab" among other names, forms similar but smaller heads, and is actually a type of turnip (Brassica rapa). Rapini is known for its slightly bitter taste, and is particularly associated with Mediterranean cuisine. It does, otherwise, have very similar needs as broccoli.

Rapini

Start plants from seed in August or September, and continue to replant successions for varieties that don’t re-sprout new buds. Plants last until the late spring, early summer. Grow broccoli in full to part sun in improved garden soil. Feed moderately with organic food. Harvest flower buds before they flower, although flowering buds are just as edible. Some varieties of broccoli will produce more budding sprouts after harvest, others may not.