Topic: Another good value crop..............

[Mrs Ava]

is Kale, in all of it's shapes and forms.  My selection were planted late last spring, and I had been stealing young leaves all summer to add to my salads, then left them alone and cut quite hard on Christmas Eve for the various Chrissy meals, and now they have all sprouted again and are amass of young tender leaves.  Unless they suddenly bolt, I shall leave them in.

[wardy]

EJ  I have never eaten kale (well not knowingly) is it tender enough to eat as a salad?  There's an Indian guy near me on the plot and he has beautiful looking kales and I was hanging my nose over them but don't want to grow them if they aren't delish.  I like cabbage, cauli, spinach and broc.  If it's like any of those I'll like it

[derbex]

It's like those, I like it -so does every passing beastie -didn't get any this year  >:(

Jeremy

[gavin]

Joy Larkcom suggests growing kale as a cut-and-come-again crop for tender salad leaves. 

Sorry, I haven't tried that - I like the robust "blast-of-green" flavour of a mature kale plant too much!  A bit stronger than cabbage, goes well with smoked haddock (or ham, or bacon - I suspect?).

Go on - try it!  :)

All best - Gavin

PS Supermarket kale is not a good introduction to the delights of kale - tough and flavourless.

[wardy]

Ta Gavin     It sounds like my type of thing!   :)

[Mrs Ava]

I agree with you Gavin, home grown kale is a wonderful crop.  I love it young, some have a peppery flavour, others a mild 'green' flavour  :-\  I also love them when they are big and have had the frost on them, when they are strong, full of iron and vitamins.  They don't take up much room really, mine are tucked away in a shadey corner, and as I said, they are going...and going...and growing...and growing!

[tim]

Try steaming them. So they say.

Not so much 'delish' - more 'robust'?

Wearthwhile!

[wardy]

Ta for the tips.  I have a shady corner on my plot which should fit the bill  :)

[terrace max]

EJ's right again: Kale is the business!

Apart from brocolli and kale, what else actually grows in January, rather than just stands around?

I'm going to grow a field full this year...

[NattyEm]

Kale is one of my 3 year olds favourite food :)

[Mrs Ava]

Tis a funny thing, my sister hates greens, the exception being old fasioned curley kale!

[Shoyu]

I love kale. Steamed is good, cut out the woody bits of stalk (if harvested late).

I have bought some seed this year, partly to supply OH's new habit of juicing everything green. I will hopefully rescue a few leaves to steam.

[chrispea27]

Yes old stalks can be tough easy to remove them!

[BAGGY]

I cook it with lentils as a veggy side dish. Just stew the lentils with the kale (tough bits and all) and then add various Indian type spices fry-ed in butter, has to be butter yum, pour on the top and mix in.
Mind you I use up most greens this way.  Cut fine enough and there's no waste. Stalks and all.

[wardy]

I like the sound of that  ;D

[Mrs Ava]

You know, if you shred it as finely as you can, and deep fry it, it is the same as the chinese 'seaweed'.  Savoy cabbage does the trick also!  YUMSKY

[Debs]

Pleeease don't talk about yummy delicious food - I haven't eaten yet !!!

Hubby, (Who doesn't often venture into the kitchen/cooking domain, has made a casserole... don't know what it will taste like, especially when he asked what he could use to make a gravy :-\

Can't wait to taste it :-X

Debs  -   only joking,  at least it saves me cooking tonight.

P.S. May be ducking into kitchen for a sneaky sandwich later if his casserole tastes pukey   :-X :-X

Debs  ;D.