Care & Storage
For Eating Fresh: For short-term storage (1-2 days) snip the ends of the stalks and place them in cup of clean water. Refresh the water as needed. For longer-term storage, a week or so, put the kale in a perforated plastic bag in your fridge.
To Freeze: Wash and then blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water. Cool immediately.
Availability
June - November
Varieties of Note
Winterbor
Redbor
Beira
Red and White Russian
Red and White Russian Kale are essentially the same in terms of texture and flavor, but have slightly different growing habits. This makes them excellent companions throughout the growing season, as one is often doing better then the other depending on conditions. Both have a light leaf that cooks quickly and is excellent lightly sautéed or raw in salad.
Lacinato
Lacinato Kale, also known as Toscano, or Dinosaur Kale, is a traditional Italian variety with a firm leaf and lower water content then many other varieties. As a result it is the best variety for kale chips and also excellent in soup.
Recipes
Toasted Kale Salad
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson
1/3 C olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or shoyu
1 bunch winterbor kale
1 1/2 C unsweetened large-flake coconut (or 1/2 C finely shredded coconut)
2 C cooked farro or other whole grain (optional)
Prehead the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl wisk together the olive oil, seasame oil, and soy sauce. Put the kale and coconut in a large bowl and toss with about two-thirds of the sauce mixture. Spread the kale evenly across a baking sheet and bake until the coconut is deeply golden brown - about 20 mintes. Mix occassionally if kale is baking unevenly. Remove from the oven and transfer back to the bowl, mix in more sauce if needed. Toss with grain and serve warm.
Kale Chips
This works best with lacinato kale since it contains the least water, but you can use any other variety of kale as well, as long as you remove thick stems first.
1-2 pounds of kale
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350° F. Wash kale and remove stems larger then 1/8 inch thick. Chop coarsely and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven and cook, stirring frequently, until kale is dried and crispy, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with more salt as needed.
Kale and Potato Soup
From How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
1 large baking potato, cut into eighths
1 clove garlic, lightly smashed
5 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or water, preferably warmed
About 3 cups roughly chopped kale leaves (stripped from the stalks and well rinsed before chopping)
1 tsp fresh marjoram or oregano leaves or ½ tsp dried marjoram or oregano
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine the potato, garlic, and 2 cups of the stock or water in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook until the potato is soft, about 15 minutes; cool slightly. At the same time, cook the kale in the remaining stock or water with the marjoram and bay leaf until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Puree the potato, garlic, and stock or water together; the mixture will be thick. Stir it into the simmering kale, season with salt and pepper, and heat through. Serve immediately.
