Store kale in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Keep separate from ethylene gas producers like apples, avocados, peppers, and citrus fruits.
Kale is in the Brassicas family along with collards, cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Most Brassicas grow in a tight head, but not kale. It grows in more of a loose bouquet form. We grow several varieties of kale, including green curly, lacinato, baby kale and occasionally Portuguese kale. Kale varies from other greens in that their leaves are thicker. Kale can withstand frost and still will be delicious into late November. In fact, its sweet mineral or earthy flavor is best after a period of cold weather.
Lacinato or Tuscan kale is an heirloom Italian variety. It has very dark blue-green narrow leaves with a crinkly texture. Green curly kale can be identified by all green leaves with ruffled edges and green ribs. Portuguese kale has large broad green leaves that are mostly flat but do have a little waviness on the edges and sturdy white ribs.
Due to the thickness of its leaves, kale needs to be cooked a little longer or “marinated” to soften the leaves. Kale may be eaten raw or cooked. Raw kale salads have become quite popular in recent years and are great for the summer when lettuce and spinach are less available. If you choose to eat kale raw, we recommend thinly slicing it and “marinating” it for 30 minutes or more with oil and/or an acidic ingredient (such as vinegar or lemon juice) to soften the leaves and make them more palatable. Kale may also be stir-fried, sautéed, steamed or added to soups, stews and the like. Baked kale chips are also a fun way to eat kale and a healthy alternative to potato chips! Due to the recent surge in popularity of kale, there are loads of recipes available on the internet.
Kale is still tough when lightly cooked and braising slowly until tender helps the flavor develop. Kale is traditionally, in Southern cooking, braised with pork and finished with a little vinegar. Traditional Southern condiments for braised greens are bacon bits, hard boiled eggs, and green onions. There are a number of seasonings that work well with kale; garlic, chile, cumin, fennel, and toasted sesame oil are a few. Kale stands up well in hearty soups. Add it to the soup about 20-30 minutes before done. Blanching kale helps to preserve color and texture. Cook cut greens in boiling water for 5 minutes, then shock in ice water, drain, and squeeze out excess water. Add to egg dishes or gratins. You can also make a “kale slaw”. Just add a typical creamy slaw dressing to greens blanched for 10 minutes. It is a great substitute for cabbage. Some of the ingredients that complement kale include potatoes, onions, beans and chorizo.
One of the interesting things about Portuguese kale is that it is a little different from other kales in that the thick ribs can be eaten raw–simply remove the leaf from the rib. Thinly peel off the outer layer of the rib to expose the tender, sweet flesh—very similar to peeling and eating the stem of broccoli. The rib can be cooked separately or eaten raw.
Health & Nutrition: Kale, like many other greens, is very nutritious. It is said to be used for bladder ailments and to help with hangovers.
Cultural & Historical Background: In Portugal, Portuguese kale is the key ingredient in one of their national dishes called Caldo Verde. There are many versions of Caldo Verde, but all of them include several basic ingredients that characterize Portuguese cuisine.
Growing Information: Portuguese kale grows a little different from other kales—first it forms the large outer leaves, and towards the end of its growing season it forms more of a center head as the leaves curl towards the center. At first it resembles collards, but later the plants behave more like cabbage. We spaced the plants pretty far apart which has allowed them to grow up to 2 feet high and wide in some cases! It’s quite an impressive plant!
