This Meatless Monday, we feature kale, with growing, storage and prep tips, as well as recipes for Simple Sautéed Kale and Baked Kale Chips.

Background

A relative of cabbage, Kale is an old-fashioned vegetable whose ancestors were popular among the ancient Greeks and Romans. Types of kale very similar to those we eat today were commonly eaten in the middle ages. Because kale is so-cold hardy, it has historically been an important crop that remains available long after the traditional growing season ends. Unlike cabbage, kale leaves do not form a tight head, but instead branch off from a thick, central stem. Kale can be found in curly and flat-leafed varieties in colors that range from blue-black to bright green to purplish. In World War II, kale was a common component of victory gardens due to its ease of growing. Kale is enjoying a comeback today for many of the same reasons that have made it intermittently popular for centuries.

Growing Tips

Kale can either be grown as a baby green or allowed to mature to its full size. A very cold hardy vegetable, kale can be direct seeded as soon as the soil can be worked or started indoors 4 weeks prior and transplanted. For baby leaf kale, sow seeds every 4 weeks until the first frost. For full-sized kale, harvest the bottom leaves first and the plant will continue to produce, sprouting new leaves out of the center. Kale often becomes sweeter after a frost, but will eventually die off after prolonged freezing temperatures. Keep an eye on plants for cabbage worms. Some varieties (particularly Red Russian) are prone to flea beetles when young, but you can protect plants with row cover.

Storage

After harvesting leaves, dunk in very cold water and shake to dry slightly. Wrap loosely in plastic and store in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to a week. Because kale will hold so well in the field, home growers can afford to delay harvesting until just before use. For long-term storage, kale can be blanched (dunked in boiling water for a few minutes), chilled, drained, then packed into freezer bags and stored in the freezer for several months.

Nutritional Benefits

Kale is one of the best things you can eat! Packed with a huge variety of vitamins and minerals, kale delivers lots of benefits with few calories. Like other members of the cabbage family, kale contains sulforaphane, a compound that is believed to have anti-cancer properties. Kale is also a good source of iron and dietary fiber.

Preparation

Rinse fresh kale before using. For kale with large, tough stems, rip (or cut) the leafy portion from the central rib and discard the tough portion. Young, tender kale is tasty raw if chopped and added to salads, but older kale generally lends itself better to cooking. Kale can be steamed, boiled, sautéed, baked, and added to a wide variety of dishes.

Meatless Monday Recipe: Simple Sautéed Kale

Adriany Martins, a volunteer baking, tasting and testing recipes out of the Vermont Fresh Handbook tried this recipe.  Adriany is an exchange student from Brazil, living with a host family in central Vermont.  She’s a senior at U-32 High School.  Her comments and tips are in italics below.