Kale: A Fashion Statement
Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a big fan of kale. One of my first posts on this blog was about kale and includes a great kale soup recipe. The “KALE” sweatshirt that I’m sporting in the pic was a holiday gift from my daughter. I was a kale fan before it became trendy, and everyone in the world shouted its nutritional praises. While the nutrition is a great feature, that’s only part of the story. Kale has more staying power than just about any vegetable in my central Connecticut Zone 5B garden.
The plants pictured here in my otherwise empty garden — next year I’ll get my season-extending tunnel covers in place — are Lacinato Kale, Brassica oleracea Lacinato — that I started indoors from seed late last winter and planted in the garden in late spring. They could have gone in much earlier; they are very cold tolerant and could have been direct seeded. I was late getting my garden going last year, but the extremely forgiving kale didn’t seem to mind. Despite begin cold tolerant — actually cold loving — kale grows happily all through the summer without bolting like spinach, arugula, and other lettuces will do. All summer long while I clip the outside leaves, the plant keeps growing taller and producing new leaves from the center.
I’m not the only creature that loves kale, so it’s always a constant challenge to keep away various types of caterpillars (especially cabbage loopers) and white flies. I launch multiple organic assaults on these pests including hand picking, Bacillus thuringiensis, and insecticidal soap, but this meets with only modest success. Mostly, I depend upon the established kale to produce so prolifically and there are enough greens for everyone.
Kale: A Survivor’s Story
Yes, “survivor” is the right word. As I pack in the rest of the garden and mulch it down with leaves, I just smile at the kale and know that it won’t give up for several more months. A frost or two won’t hurt it; nor will a snowfall unless it’s so heavy that it breaks the leaves or stem. The kale you see in the picture above has gone through a number of hard freezes. As long as you don’t cut it while it’s frozen but rather let the sun thaw it normally, it will survive well past the December holidays. I’ve been known to cut it in February.
Almost forgot to mention. If you don’t want to brave the cold weather, kale keeps well in your freezer! When it is at its peak in the summer, I’ll cut many of the leaves, trim away the center stem, chop, steam, submerge in ice water, spin dry and freeze. It will keep nicely in your freezer for about a year. Use as a side dish (see below) or for soup.
Kale: An Easy Side Dish
Kale chips and soup are very popular, but don’t forget one of the easiest kale presentations: steamed or sautéd. To prepare, wash the freshly cut leaves. Trim away the tough center stem, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Steam and serve as you would spinach, but about twice as long. Kale can be tough and needs to be cooked longer to soften it up. Drain well and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar.
To sauté, coat bottom of skillet with olive oil and heat until fragrant. Add a few tablespoons of pignolia nuts and heat until just browned. Remove from pan. Add prepared kale and sauté until tender. Remove to serving dish and sprinkle with browned pignolia nuts. Note: nuts are optional. Also delicious with browned butter rather than olive oil.
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December 31, 2014 at 3:08 pm
Cindy Felver
Jackie, did you know that Aunt Rita used to grow MARVELOUS kale in her little plot behind the house on West North Street? As a kid, I was always intrigued by the plant….those bluish green “frilly” leaves seemed to match the “frilly” things Aunt Rita had in her house (frilly poodles in the bathroom decorating, etc). Our house was always the tried and true Early American with no frills. Loose leaf lettuce from our garden, BUT with that “to die for” wilted lettuce bacon dressing.
December 31, 2014 at 4:28 pm
Jackie Callahan Parente
Yes, wilted lettuce! If there were only two images of summer food, they would be BLTs with “real” tomatoes (hot house tomatoes are just plastic) and wilted lettuce.
January 4, 2015 at 9:15 pm
Jackie Callahan Parente
Yes, chard is another that falls into the “survivor” category. Plus it’s fantastic in stir-fry!
December 31, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Cindy Felver
Forgot to tell you. My whole family is ADDICTED to that wonderful bread recipe that you shared….the shaggy bread made in the enamel coated cast iron dutch oven. Favorites are poppy seed, poppy seed with dried cranberry, cheddar cheese, and garlic/basil. My daughter-in-law (due in April) asks for it the minute she walks in the door. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. Going to try your kale soup tomorrow. Just made kale smoothies this morning, and I have a bunch left over. Happy New Year!
December 31, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Jackie Callahan Parente
Cindy: So glad you are all enjoying that bread. My family, too! No, I didn’t know that Aunt Rita grew kale. Can understand you theory of the decor matching 🙂
Happy New Year back! Good luck with the kale soup. Remember, it’s definitely better the second day.
January 4, 2015 at 12:15 pm
msdoolittle
I love kale! I will be planting the lacinato as soon as I can, but for now, I have the flat leafed variety. We put it in soups. This is actually my first year to grow it. Swiss chard is another of my favorites, since it tolerates a LOT of abuse, especially our hot summers.