Curly Kale

[Rosyred]

Morning, I've gown curly kale as I loved it when buying at the supermarket but i'm finding mine quite tough and chewy when cooked. Is there anything I can do?

I've read different things like only eat top baby leaves and wait till a frost. I'm off to the allotment this morning to bring some home for dinner tomorrow.

[Rosyred]

[adrianhumph]

 Hi Rosy,
               I grew curly kale last year, & kept cutting the new growth & using that, the more you cut the more it grew ;D This year I am trying cavallo nero (black kale) This I think is much better giving longer lasting tender leaves.

                                                                 Adrian.

[saddad]

The tougher stuff can be used to make soups...
:-\

[tim]

We've been picking for a month or so & yes, it has 'substance', but shredded & well & fast cooked, I would call it 'chewy'? Don't know how the markets get it any tenderer - just variety?

[Rosyred]

Many thanks it not just me then. :)

[artichoke]

I have found cavalo nero slightly heavy going, but I boiled some up with some spinach the other day, and it seemed to lighten and sweeten it - it was lovely. I cooked it a bit longer than usual and ate it with curried dahl and yoghurt, one of my favourite meals.

[Mrs Ava]

My nan swears by a pinch of bicarb in the cooking water.  Yes yes, I know it probably removes some of the nutrients or something, but her cabbage and kales are always sweet and tender.

[Rosyred]

Mum used to do that when I was a child it softens the water she said.

[tim]

It is generally advised not to use bicarb in aluminium pans. 

Softening water? Only helpful if it is very acid.

Does help colour, but so does lid-off cooking.

May destroy Vitamin C.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

[LILACSPLASH]

If you have aluminium pans get rid rid of them right now as they can contribute to altzimers

[Merry Tiller]

If you have aluminium pans get rid rid of them right now as they can contribute to altzimers

An old theory ::)

[tim]

The main accepted danger, surely, is damage to the pans by salt or acid?

[Marymary]

Like Tim I shred it quite finely having pulled out the stalks but then I steam it briefly & it's lovely with a thingy of butter.  I steam all veggies - haven't boiled any for many years.

[cambourne7]

Boil your hock of ham.

Take it out and wrap in tin foil.

Then add the kale to the water ( the natual salt in the ham water will soften the kale )

Its yum yum yum

10 min before the kale is nice and soft pop the ham into a oven with a couple of dashes of apple cider over the meat and bake :-) for about 15 min

Then add the drained and shreaded kale to mashed potatos

yum yu yum

[OllieC]

Like Tim I shred it quite finely having pulled out the stalks but then I steam it briefly & it's lovely with a thingy of butter.  I steam all veggies - haven't boiled any for many years.

A "thingy" of butter... is this a new measurement, or has the robot misunderstood that one rarely uses male genitalia as a unit of measurement in cookery.

Gave me a chuckle in the morning...

[froglets]

LOL here - just worked it out - a door thingy of butter........

[dandelion]

a knob of butter


Here's the trick:


http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,21211.0

[Barnowl]

We grew dwarf curly Kale and have been harvesting since Summer. Never eat the stalks but the leaves have been fine. We've also become fans of Cavolo Nero which we've been cropping over the same period.

[tim]

Don't like black - or purple (cabbage)

But what's the dwarf stuff?

[Barnowl]

Can't remember where I got the seeds from, but it's usually described as
Kale (Borecole)Curly Green  Dwarf . It's quite a lot shorter than normal kale with smaller leaves, but tastes the same - perhaps a bit more tender. We're a bit tight for space so it has turned out to suit us well.

http://www.suttons-seeds.co.uk/cffiles/details.cfm?var_ref=2065&rand=0.579097139237&cat_ca_ref=507

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/vegb.htm