Topic: When to eat kale?

[earlypea]

I noticed from some other posts that people are already eating kale.

Some of mine looks ready to eat, especially the Sutherland, which was only planted out just over a month ago, but it tastes really bitter.

Is the taste dependent on how long it's been growing, the temperature (I'm in the south-east) or do some people just enjoy the bitterness or cook it vigorously.

I'm asking because I had the same problem last year - lot's of good looking kale through the autumn but unpalatable until Spring or maybe I gave up sampling it late winter.  I can't remember now.

Thanks....

[saddad]

If the caterpillars don't ease up there won't be any for me...  :-\
The new spring growth is sweeter... the old leaves tend to be tougher and bitter..

[Digeroo]

I thought that Kale needed frost to improve the flavour.

[thifasmom]

I normally grow Kale fairly early and start taking leaves when they are ready like late July onwards till spring when they go to flower Though this year they were so badly affected by aphids they are only now coming into their own.

I discard the old leaves, can't say i have noticed a difference in frosted plants but maybe my taste buds aren't discerning enough :-\.

[Tulipa]

I picked some yesterday for the first time.  I have never grown it before but was given some plants, not sure which one, he just said curly kale seeds  from Wilkinsons.  Steamed it, then fried in garlic, it was delicious.  I just used the younger leaves, older ones covered in white fly!  Hoping for much more.... :)

Should I take off all the older leaves, do I start at the bottom and work up the plant, or just take the new leaves from the top?

T.

[1066]

I'm growing kale for the 1st time as well - curly and cavelo nero. And have the same questions as Tulipa! Some of mine look like they are ready for a taste test  ;D

[Digeroo]

I tend to take the new young leaves - one from each plant and leave the old ones to keep the plant alive.  The new young leaves taste the best and are nice and tender.

Got loads of beans and broccoli at the moment, so leaving the kale to get bigger before I attack it.  The redbor looks very pretty indeed.

My cavolo nero has been suffering from something - did not grow properly - plants all misshapen and knarled, gave it a good feed and it has just started into action, plants still quite small.

[thifasmom]

i do the opposite i remove all the leaves (discarding the old and cooking the young) when i harvest and just leave a few baby leaves at the top.

on average i grow about six plants and generally strip them all when i harvest then leave them till they can be stripped again about every 3 - 4 weeks ( i have lots of other leafy crops that can be harvested in that time for variety to the diet sake ::).

i tried a curly variety last year and found they harboured way to many bugs and was difficult to clean.

I'll stick to cavolo Nero as my main kale from now on but i am also trying a Russian red variety this year, so far i have found the leaves some what hairy, hope to get a harvest soon then I'll know what the taste is like in comparison to Nero which i definitely like.

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

Interesting

I havent picked yet but have lots of kale in my brassica bed, unfortunatel alot of white fly in with it.  I am thinking of leaving it until the coller weather so that the whitefly are not such an issue (if at all) - am I right?  Should I be doing anything in the meantime?  Even if that means picking and discarding top growth to encourage new growth?

Psi

[thifasmom]

Interesting

I havent picked yet but have lots of kale in my brassica bed, unfortunatel alot of white fly in with it.  I am thinking of leaving it until the coller weather so that the whitefly are not such an issue (if at all) - am I right?  Should I be doing anything in the meantime?  Even if that means picking and discarding top growth to encourage new growth?

Psi

last year the curly kale i grew kept the white fly quite warm during the winter months :-X >:(

[angle shades]

 :) my favourite veg, I grow a variety called Afro, it's a curly kale  ;D it's been ready a couple of weeks, I think it's early this year.Growing about 20 plants, just wash or knock the whitefly off and pick the younger tender leaves/ shades x

[Digeroo]

If the caterpillars don't ease up there won't be any for me

How odd, I do not have have caterpillars on my Kale, they have gone for the purple sprouting and the broccoli.

[saddad]

Spent another hour picking caterpillars off the brassicas... well at least the chikens appreciated them...  :)

[earlypea]

Thanks for the picking advice thifasmom - I'd just been picking the mid-range leaves before in case of killing them off and they ended up looking quite odd.

I think the Cavallo nero was the only one I enjoyed eating in the Autumn last year.  The red russian becomes delightful with a real spring cabbagy taste and amazingly prolific in early spring.  Before that, I didn't like the taste.  Although almost anything is edible if you fry it with onions so I guess it is partly a matter of how you cook it.

[thifasmom]

Thanks for the picking advice thifasmom - I'd just been picking the mid-range leaves before in case of killing them off and they ended up looking quite odd.

no problem :)

I think the Cavallo nero was the only one I enjoyed eating in the Autumn last year.  The red russian becomes delightful with a real spring cabbagy taste and amazingly prolific in early spring.  Before that, I didn't like the taste.  Although almost anything is edible if you fry it with onions so I guess it is partly a matter of how you cook it.

thanks for the taste review, like you i really enjoy Cavallo nero, we had tons of rain last night, all night really and so I'm hoping for a really big growth spurt which will give me the opportunity to taste the russian red for a taste comparison. if you found it generally taste much better in the spring maybe its one of the varieties that definitely improve after being frosted.