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Kale
Kale is a "brassica" vegetable (closely related to broccoli, cabbage, collards, etc) that has been bred for its large
relatively tender leaves. Kale has a reputation as a "super vegetable" because it has high levels of anti-oxidants, carotenes, and other
vitamins. It has much more to offer nutritionally than lettuce and it is definitely worth adding to your diet. We regularly add young tender kale
to our salad mix. As the plants get bigger and as the salad mix ends in early summer, we also offer the kale in bunches
for cooking. Even when the leaves are big, you can can remove the stalks, chop or shred the leaves and add them
to your salad. It can have a mildly bitter taste that is more pronounced in bigger leaves, but we grow varieties that
have a reputation for sweetness--red russian and "dino" kale are two that we grow regularly.
Kale is also delicous for cooking. It can replace spinach and swiss chard in most recipes (see the casserole recipe on the chard page), though it takes a little more cooking to get it tender. Sauteeing kale as a side dish with some sweet onions, garlic and maybe some peppers is an easy way to eat a whole lot of kale. It is also delicious in soups and stir fries. |