It had been pointed out in the comments on a separate post, that a number of broccoli seed retailers are, in fact, selling “Rapini/Raab/Rabe” seeds – marketed as regular broccoli speeds.
For those of us looking to buy broccoli sprouts, to then seed for their sulforafane content, this is a problem.
They’re actually a different family of brassicas than broccoli – despite looking vaguely similar when fully grown.
Until research says otherwise, we don’t know if they contain sulforaphane, so is worth watching out for (to avoid) when buying seeds.
The sprout house seeds I’ve linked to in a previous post, according to the seller, are “usually the cultivar Calabrese” (link) – which is a regular broccoli type that will contain sulforaphane.
Out of curiosity I bought both seed types (normal broccoli and Raab), *in case* it was possible to visually tell the difference between the unsprouted seeds (it’s very hard).

Click image to view full size. Seeds on the left come from Raab, the right two are different cultivars of “regular” broccoli. The main differences I could tell between the seeds (and I admit it’s very minimal), is that the Raab seeds are more uniformly dark (vs lighter browns for the others), and they are more uniformly smaller.

Above: Raab Seeds

Above: Cezar “Regular Broccoli”

Above: Tenderstem (Atlantis-F1) – “Regular Broccoli”
Conclusion
Whilst this was a worthy little experiment, I think you’ll agree that the differences between seeds are minuscule, and it’s virtually impossible to tell the difference between the regular broccoli seeds and Raab seeds. Especially when you take into account the natural variation in broccoli cultivars. For example, above Tenderstem seeds vary slightly from the Cezar seeds.
What this ultimately means is that we have to trust the retailers, and make sure we double check on what cultivar they’re selling – making sure it’s not Rapini/Raab (which, as mentioned, is of a different family than broccoli).
Is there any visible difference in 4/5-old-day sprouts themself (afa their appearance is concerned)?
Hi. That’s a good question – I should have probably sprouted both at the same time and checked. I unfortunately didn’t do that – and don’t still have the Raab seeds to hand – so I can’t tell you.
Thank you very much for the explaination can i use this one https://www.123zaden.nl/broccoli-calabrese#product_tabs_product.detail.zaaiinstructies
They’re advertised as “Calabrese” – which should be exactly what you need.
thank you very much
Anybody know a good retailer for regular broccoli seeds that ships to Europe. Thanks
Europe is a large place – can you get any more specific?
Republic of Ireland
Not sure how Amazon are delivering to Eire?
You’d be looking for this sort of thing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CALABRESE-Sprouting-Sulforaphane-Germination-Microgreens/dp/B088X1M1QB/
Calabrese variant, and ideally organic.
which broccoli sprouting seed contain the highest content of sulforaphane..raab or calabrese
As mentioned above – Raab is not strictly speaking – regular broccoli. Therefore you’d be safer going for Calabrese.
Thanks for sharing good info. I think I’ve been buying the wrong kind all along. 🙏🏻
Opps, misspelled: “Quick” seed, not “uick” seed.
Also add:
My 2 lbs bag had an expiration date of 4 years from my purchase (which is good because Im still spouting them.)
Instead of mason jars (too pricey) I just used the plastic takeout containers from the supermarket – which are about the same size and disposable – and drilled lots of small holes in the plastic lid for ventilation and drainage. I got my seeds cheap too, from FoodtoLive, which is on Amazon. They even provided me with a PDF certification of the lot my non-organic seeds came from. The doc states Brassica, Oleracea Calabrese. Other info: Orgin (USA); Harvest date; Lot #; uick seed (98%); Germination (98%); Purity (99.95%) Inert matter (0.05%), Crop or Weed (0%); Insect (0%). There are… Read more »