Kale, Alive Vates Grex   Brassica oleracea (55 days)  A Seven Seeds Farm original variety that is the result of allowing 6 different strains of Scotch curled, Vates types of kale interbreed, including Winterbor (F1), Starbor(F1), Easy Pick (F1), Darkibor (F1), Dwarf Blue, Scotch curled, Meadowlark, Nash's Green.  We began with a large population of a few thousand plants and then selected the hardiest survivors that made it through a week-long cold snap down to 5° F with no snow or mulch.  What made it not only survived, but thrived, growing succulent, sweet green leaves starting with the warming days of February and jamming right along until finally flowering in late May, at which point we harvest tasty flower shoots for use in stir fry or raw in salad.  Frilly blue green leaves are held high off the ground to keep winter splashback of mud off them.  This is an interbreeding population so expect some variability…perfect for homestead gardeners who look to their kale patch to feed them year round! We have done an intensive Half-sibling breeding program with this variety wherein we saved seed from our favorite 100 plants out of a larger population of 2,000 plants, then grew 50 plants from each of those 100 mothers and then rogued out the less desirable plants leaving the best 30W% of a larger grow out of 5,000 plants.  So this is becoming a true open-pollinated work-horse kale that is an alternative to modern hybrids.  Packet (1/2 g ≈ 125 seeds) 1/2 ounce - ( ≈ 4,000 seeds) 1 oz (≈ 8,000 seeds) 1/4 lb (≈ 32,000 seeds)...

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Kale, Black Tuscan  (50 days)  Brassica oleracea This is an excellent Lacinato (or Dinosaur) type kale from the late Alan Vanet and SOW seeds.  With dark green leaves and resistance to both heat and cold, it provides tasty, nutritious, tender kale leaves for most of the year.  Very winter hardy it becomes exceptionally sweet after frost.  A proven farmer’s market favorite, it is beautiful to behold as well.  1/2 g~125 seeds         Ounce (≈ 8,000 seeds) 1/4 pound (30,000 seeds)...

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KALE, Dazzling Blue Lacinato (75 days) Brassica oleeracea   NEW FOR 2016 from our friends at Wild Garden Seeds! "This stunning new blue kale comes from our own Hank Keogh’s inspiration to backcross a ‘Rainbow Lacinato’ variant with its ‘WGS Lacinato’ ancestor. The result, a dazzling blue-green savoyed strap leaf with underturned margins, upright growth, and a striking pink midrib. Eye-catching at the market, and the flavor is “very lacinato.” More winter hardy than any other lacinato-type, as demonstrated in the kale-killing freeze-out of 2013–14. Nice work!" Packet (1/2 g) 1/2 oz-...

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Fractal Frills (50 days) Brassica napus This is a Siskiyou Seeds original that is a breeding population from a cross between Siber Frills and Frisée’ with the aim of stabilizing it into a hyper-frilly purple-tinged, purple-petioled fractal fantasy.  Some individuals have a very wide pink/purple petiole that fans into the leaf majestically , alluding to ornamental kales.  Lots of surface areas for seasonings in kale chip recipes.  Very hardy and late bolting. Packet (1/2 g ≈ 125 seeds) 1 oz (≈ 8,000 seeds)...

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Nash’s Green Curly (50 days) Brassica oleracea  Bred over many years at Nash Huber’s Farm in Sequim, WA for market garden production in cooler weather.  Nash crossed a Vates-type kale with a brussels sprout variety to encourage a taller plant height.  Leaves are a pleasant blue/green with plenty of frills and a mild, sweet flavor and good disease resistance. Packet (1/2 g ≈ 125 seeds) ...

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Olympic Red (50 days) Brassica oleracea  An open pollinated alternative to the popular hybrid, RedBor (F1) that many market growers rely on.  Olympic Red was bred by Nash Huber to be a farm work horse to have good productivity, flavor and disease resistance. Leaves are dark blue/green with wide purple petioles and veins. Packet (1/2 g ≈ 125 seeds)...

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Kale, Red Russian   (50 days)  Brassica napus The standard homestead/garden kale in the Pacific NW.  Leaves are blue-green, flat and lobed/toothed with beautiful purple stems and veins.  Mild flavor can be used young in salad or mature as a cooking green.  Selected over multiple generations for cold hardiness down to 10°F and uniform color. An essential ingredient in mesclun mix for cut and come again salads, providing some color and loft. Packet (1/2 g ≈ 125 seeds) 1 oz (≈8,000 seeds)...

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KALE , Siber Frills (60 days) Brassica napus  Vigorous and sweet, this kale produces over a long season. Mild flavored leaves becomes frilly as the plant matures, making it easy to cut even mature leaves for salads. Tender and tasty raw or cooked. Foliage stands well into the winter. Siber Frill kale was selected at Lupine Knoll Farm, choosing for the frilled leaves, from a mix of B. Napus kales provided by Tim Peters, Peters Seed and Research, in 2000-2002. Packet (1/2 g ≈ 125 seeds) 1 oz...

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Kale, Tall Alive Grex,  (55 days)  Brassica oleracea A Seven Seeds Farm original variety that is based on our wonderful “Alive Vates” but backcrossed to the tallest specimens of numerous open pollinated commercial kales from a kale trial we grew in 2016 with the goal of producing a vigorous, stable, disease resistant Vates type kale with frilly dark green leaves. Expect variation in this population. We have a half-sibling progeny row breeding project underway to stabilize the tall (but not too tall!) trait.  Packet (1/2 g ≈ 125 seeds) 1/2 ounce Ounce:...

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Kale, White Russian  (60 days) Brassica napus The most cold hardy kale, also bolts later in the spring than any other kale by 2-3 weeks, which helps to keep the garden on your dinner plate in the lean month of April.  Looks like Red Russian kale, but with white veining and stems.  Developed by Farnk Morton as a cross between Siberian and Red Russian kales.  Generally regarded as the best tasting kale.  We have also noted that this is the latest bolting kale in our fields in the spring, providing food for up to a month longer than curly Vates and Lacinato types. Packet (1/2 g ≈ 125 seeds) 1 oz (≈8,000 seeds) 1/4 pound (≈32,000 seeds)          ...

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Mustard, Karate Cabbage / Highland Kale.  (40-70 days)  Brassica carinata Now here is something unique! Originally sourced from seedsman, George Stevens (Synergy Seeds), this Ethiopian green grows quickly to a nice mound of shiny light green leaves that have an amazing texture and sweet flavor that truly tastes buttery; yes that’s right, like butter! Must be tried to be believed. Also Known as “Ethiopian Kale” or Abyssinian mustard.  Packet (1/2 g ≈ 250 seeds) 1 oz ...

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