Yummy Kale
Autumn is here but there’s still time to sow seeds of leafy greens such as lettuce and kale in many parts of the country. If your vegetable gardening season ends with the last tomato or bean crop, you’re in for a treat. You can extend your harvest well into fall by sowing seeds now.
One of our favorite fall crops is kale (Brassica oleracea), the current darling of foodies and cooks. It’s rich in nutrients (vitamins A and C), it provides fiber and it’s tasty. Kale is a member of the Brassica (cabbage) family, but even if you don’t like cabbage, you may enjoy this leafy green, which can be steamed, sautéed, used in omelets, and in soup. You can simmer the leaves with potatoes, barley, and sausage in a Dutch recipe, called boerenkool. It’s really good with pork roast, too, or doused with butter or drizzled with vinegar.
Kale Loves the Cold
But the best thing about this green is that it’s well known for its exceptional cold tolerance. And the flavor just gets better and better as the season progresses. In fact, it tastes almost sweet and mild after a light frost and extended cold weather. And the seeds will germinate even if the soil temperature is only 50 degrees. Once they sprout, you can start harvesting baby kale leaves in 28 days.
On nights when the air temperature dips into the 30’s, we place a floating row cover (a lightweight spun-polyester cloth) over the plants to protect them from frost. They’re held in place with a few rocks on each corner of the cloth. Row covers are available at local garden centers, big-box stores, and online. In a pinch, you could use a cardbox box, a sheet, or a light-weight plastic tarp suspended with sticks a few inches over the plants.
Heavier weight row covers are called frost cloth. They keep the air surrounding the plants about 5 degrees warmer than the actual temperature. Come morning when the sun is out, we remove the cloth and any wilted plants perk up.
Sowing Seeds
I sow kale seeds in the spring for an early crop and again in late summer and fall. In most areas, you can harvest the leaves into winter.
Grow kale in a fertile, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter. In the fall, I plant kale in pots kept close to the south and west sides of the house where the heat from the wood radiates some extra warmth at night. Kale grows best in full sun, but like other greens, will tolerate some shade. When growing edibles in pots, I use a soil-less, lightweight potting mix and I water it as soon as the surface appears dry. I sow the seeds an inch apart and 1/4-inch to a 1/2-inch deep so that the plants grow dense. If your garden center has kale transplants, you can plant them now and begin harvesting a few weeks earlier than seed-sown kale.
Varieties
Kale is one of the oldest forms of cabbage. A member of the cole crops, kale is related to collards, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kohlrabi. In the spring, we sow seeds of frilly kale and harvest the entire head. In the fall, however, I sow the seeds for a harvest of baby leaves. Red Russian kale has smooth red leaves, which can be cut in about 25 days. I also like the curly varieties such as Redbor, with its frilly purple-red leaves that become deeper in color with the onset of cold weather. They’re so attractive, I clip a few larger leaves for flower arrangements and I’ve used them in wedding bouquets. The veins and stems of some varieties are transformed from blue-green to magenta and purple in the garden but revert to green when cooked.
Toscano (the “dinosaur” type) kale is an Italian heirloom with dark green leaves that don’t curl but are heavily textured (savoyed). The leaves are rich, tender and soft. Curly Scotch and Dwarf Blue Curled Vates varieties have blue-green leaves that are a great addition to a salad.
Winterbor kale is a standard dark green, curled-leaf variety. The leaves are ruffled and the plants are very vigorous in cold weather. We harvest the leaves from the bottom of the plant and it will continue growing until freezing weather sets in. And when that happens, I’m indoors watching the snow and cooking up some hot kale dishes.
Here’s a nutritious kale recipe that’s easy to make and is a good way to celebrate the fall harvest.
Kale with Cannellini Beans
Ingredients:
Directions:
1.Large curly leaved kales have tough ribs and stems. Fold the leaves in half and remove the entire stem/rib before cooking.
2. Put a quart of water in a deep pan and add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer and add the kale. Simmer for about 10 minutes until tender. Drain the kale (and reserve the water for another use–you can drink it or add it to soup). Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and rosemary and sauté for about 3 or 4 minutes.
3. Add the wine and continue cooking for another 4 minutes.
4. Chop the kale into small pieces. Add the beans and kale and cook a few more minutes to heat. Place in a bowl and sprinkle Parmesan on top. Add some fresh French or pumpernickel bread and you’re all set.
Seed Sources
Check your local garden centers for seeds along with these mail-order sources.
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, 860-567-6086 or www.kitchengardenseed.com.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds, 207-861-3900 or www.johnnyseeds.com.
Territorial Seed Co., 541-942-9547 or www.territorialseed.com.