By – Jane Hayes / Garden Jane with Pam Jackson
In the middle ages, kale was so well known and widely used that kale became a synonym for dinner. “Hey, would you like to join me for some kale?” Kale has come and gone in popularity over the years since then. Until just recently it had fallen out of use and favour to the point that Pizza Hut had become the top buyer of kale – for use as salad bar garnish! Today kale tops the list of “trendy” vegetables, along with baby greens and arugula. We’re thrilled that kale has risen from garnish status to that of staple-super-food, available at any grocery store or farmers’ market. Read more about kale’s rise to stardom in this article and see our growing and preparing tips below.
Growing Tips
- Kale is easy and fun to grow. Direct seed or transplant a couple of weeks before last frost (kale can handle light frosts).
- Kale is a heavy feeder, so add a side dressing of worm compost or sheep manure after a couple of weeks.
- Sprinkle seeds (like pepper) to grow a dense batch of baby kale leaves, or plant ~30-45 cm apart for larger plants. Harvest the lower leaves of the larger plants all summer and you’re left with “kale trees” in the fall.
- Seed again in mid summer for a fall crop. Kale is heat sensitive, so direct seed under the foliage of other plants in summer or transplant seedlings out later in the summer.
- This super star veg also does well in container gardens if your space is limited. Like other cruciferous cousins such as Brussels sprouts, kale can withstand some light frost in the fall and still be delicious.
Preparing Kale
Kale is versatile! You can blend it in a smoothie, toss it in a salad, cook it in a stew or bake it to make kale chips.
The easiest way to make kale chips without a dehydrator:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
- Take 1 bunch of kale, remove stems and cut into bite-sized pieces
- Wash kale thoroughly and dry (either in a salad spinner or on a towel)
- Toss kale with 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of salt
- Arrange kale on a lined a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes
- Watch that your kale chips don’t burn. Browned is good, blackened is bad!
Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, a quick internet search will reveal a multitude of flavours that can be experimented with in the world of kale chips. The possibilities are endless (and delicious!).
Let’s say you’ve had your fill of kale chips and salads all summer and you have a bountiful harvest in the fall. Time to preserve! Our favorite way to preserve kale for later use is so simple – no blanching required with this hearty veg.
- Wash kale and shake dry (no need to worry about removing all the residual water).
- Hold the kale leaf by the stem in one hand and grab the leafy part and lightly pull towards the leaf tip with the other hand. This ensures that the kale leaf is removed from the stem at the perfect location where the stem turns woody and not as nice to eat. It’s also the easiest way to separate the leaf and stem without the use of a knife or any thought towards precision. It just works so beautifully.
- Next, jam the entire leaf (minus the stem of course) into a medium size ziploc freezer bag. Keep jamming leaves into the bag until you can squeeze no more in. Try to remove as much of the air as possible as you seal the bag. Then, just toss in the freezer. Sometimes, I even remember to label the bag!
- The kale will be ready for you come winter. Simply remove the frozen kale from the freezer, squish up the bag in your hands (or slam it on the counter a few times) to break up the leaves and throw into your stew, soup or casserole. Unlike other greens such as chard, or salad, kale holds up very well when frozen.
Enjoy!