KALE ?

I listened on the radio yesterday to an article on Kale/Borecole.
I have never grown this form of cabbage and to my knowledge tasted Kale.

Has anyone grown Kale ?,and what is the Taste ?.
I know it contains lots of health properties..

 

Oh, its good

Plant in the early summer for a winter crop. Gets a few bugs in the leaves that need washing off.

 

We are currently harvesting "Curly Scarlet" kale. It was sown on 12th April and planted on 9th June. We started picking in November and I reckon the three plants should last us at least another month. It's a very hardy veg.
The young leaves can be used in salads and the mature leaves cooked as winter greens. The cooked taste is a bit stronger than cabbage or sprouts. Mrs W added some to a pot of veg soup on Friday and we had the rest of the picking as veg to accompany roast chook.

 

Is it nice in stir fries?

I've been pondering growing it but have been put off by some reports of a bitter taste.

 

Not tried it in stir fries but you've just given us a good idea!
Doesn't taste bitter to us, but of course it's a matter of personal taste. Scarlet kale may perhaps taste sweeter than green kale.

 

I have grown and used black Italian kale, aka Cavolo nero, and found it easy to grow and suitable for stir fries if you cut out the central rib and shred finely. Quite palatable in soups and as a side veg. I don't think it's bitter but it is very cabbagey.

I've always found the regular curly sort to be a bit .....worthy.

 

Much nicer than cabbage, should have started growing it years ago Thing is, how big does it grow? My plants are tiny compared to the cabbage plants. I've got about 15 plants that just about keep two of us in kale leaves ( they're under the snow at the moment ). Definately going to grow some more next season, no problems with bugs or slugs, can't remember what sort but take very little cooking, ons type is green and t'other is purple.
As an aside, we're still eating leaves from cabbage plants ( not pulled out of ground ) from two years ago, they just keep producing.

 

Curly kale is eaten a lot in north germany, for my mother its a real treat. She boils it for several hours with a smoked bacon joint or pinkel sausages in the same pan.

It shouldnt be eaten until the first frosts and yes it can suffer with white fly.

 

Ha, my mother in Wales used to boil up a bacon joint with cabbage, for hours. The potatoes would be cooked on top in the same pan then parsley sauce would be made with the cooking liquor. A bit of a salt-fest but I loved it.

What are pinkel sausages BTW?

My Nero Toscana always gets a powdery white fly under the leaves. It doesn't seem to harm it, I just wash them off before eating.

The other good thing about Nero toscana is that it is reasonably compact and looks OK most of the time so it can be grown in decorative borders, which I don't think would be true of a cabbage.

 

Pinkel are a german sausage only available in north germany. Its especially made to be cooked with pinkel.

 

To be cooked with curly kale.

 

Has anyone tried blanching it like you would with Sea Kale?



I've eaten the leaves without blanching, but they are a bit bitter.