Where? Plots 2, 4, 7, 10, 14.
When is it ready to eat? Now!
About Kale
Kale (Brassica oleracea) is part of the cabbage family. The green or purple leaves are edible. Leaves are curly or flat and come in hundreds of shapes and sizes.
Harvest
Kale is harvested from spring all the way into winter. It can survive temperatures below -15˚ Celsius. In fact, kale gets sweeter and more delicious after a frost. Kale is almost indestructible.
Kale is most often planted in early spring and can be eaten/harvested as soon as the leaves are big enough to eat. Kale is a “cut-and-come-again” plant meaning it will continue to grow as long as only a few leaves from the outside of the plant are taken (don’t pull the whole plant out of the ground!).
Kale is extremely easy to grow and loves our cool, damp, misty climate.
Uses
Kale can be eaten raw or cooked—younger leaves are better raw whereas older, tougher leaves are best cooked. Kale is delicious stir-fired with garlic and is great in soups or as a side dish (use is as you would spinach). Fried kale, potatoes, and sausage or beans are a match made in culinary heaven. Kale chips are a nutritious snack, and kale can replace lettuce in Caesar salads.
Nutritional Facts
Kale is literally a superfood! It is loaded in Vitamin K, is rich in fibre, and also contains an impressive amount of calcium and Vitamins A and C. It is good for your heart, lowers cholesterol, and may even help reduce the risk of cancer. Kale is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for brain health. It even reduces Type 2 diabetes risk.
Fun Facts
A serving of kale has more calcium than milk and more Vitamin C than orange juice! Bees absolutely love kale flowers. Unlike a lot of veggies, kale’s nutrients do not diminish when cooked. Cooking kale makes it easier for your stomach to digest—eating a lot of raw kale can make you quite gassy!