kale

[flopsy]

what is kale? sorry for sounding thick, as i have seen lots about but unsure what it is

[rustylady]

Similar to cabbage, but I find it slightly stronger tasting. I love it and it's very hardy.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Kale grows with individual frond like leaves unlike a cabbage the leaves of which wrap around the centre to form a heart.

[kentishgal]

It makes a fantastic looking ornamental plant too! I love it but wish I knew more imaginative things to do with it!! (I mean cooking not like fashioning it into a parachute or knitting a jumper with it!!LOL).

[Snadger]

There are loads of different varieties of a sometimes overlooked brassica.

I grow Red Russian (reddish) Cavel de Nero (dinosaur kale), large curly kale (there are also dwarf varieties), Thousand Headed (huge tasty kale), Channel Island kale (8 to 10 feet high)

Most of these are cut and come again varieties with the added bonus that at the end of their life they throw up delicious broccoli like spears.

I think they were originally bred for animal fodder because they are so hardy and available during the winter months.

They are very tasty (each one being slightly different), full of vitamins and iron, and to my mind are a must for the allotment garden.

Chooks love em too

[Bren In Pots]

I grow Black Kale (Cavalo Nero) when it grows it looks just like fleur de lys, its my favourite brassica and keeps us in greens over winter picking a few leaves from each plant.

[Two_Sheds]

what is kale?

"it's that horrible bladdy green stuff that TS keeps sneaking into curries & soups" ~ Mr TS

[leonmc0708]

It grows really well - and dont take notice of the instructions on the pack that say "protect from birds in winter" cus the birds made a right mess of mine this summer too !!

[lukens]

I like the mixed message about Kale and birds on the RHS site:




After saying pigeons had left my veg alone, they then went and stripped all my brassicas, including all the growth on my 4 Scarlet Kale seedlings (3 of which have miraculously returned to life).

They do seem to have left my Red Russian Kale CCA salad patch alone, though.

[chefgage]

We have grown a dwarf curly variety this year, its one of the things that has grown really
well. It's ideal as its a cut and conme again type so should keep us going for a bit.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I would never have dreamed of growing kale before I joined this site. I got some free seeds and had a spare container so I gave it a go.

Had my first ever just the other night and now SWMBO's moaning because I grew 4 plants just to try it.

It certainly on the list for next year.

[Ericthehalfabee]

I've grown kale for the past 6 years and it's been my most valued and reliable crop. It's almost bombproof..(but not rabbit proof!) and easily survived temperatures of minus 18 in the freezing cold winter we had a few years ago. I'd describe its taste as 'cabbage with attitude' )..brilliant stuff really.

[Gemmalaveen]

Kale is my favourite brassica. I chop/slice the leaves and add it to soups, Asian stir-fries and curries.

I really need to net mine asap... at the moment I am using solar-powered butterflies to chase the birds away but of course they don't work at night time.

[Kaiya]

After saying pigeons had left my veg alone, they then went and stripped all my brassicas, including all the growth on my 4 Scarlet Kale seedlings (3 of which have miraculously returned to life).

They do seem to have left my Red Russian Kale CCA salad patch alone, though.

Same here - last year no problems with birds, this year no leaves left. Kale ironically has survived broadly unaffected, and brussels are ok ish, but the cabbage, cauli and broc are mostly veins. I think it was the effect of slugs, birds and flea beetle combined - the kale went out a good month or two after the rest (same size seedlings, but sown and planted out later on) so I think skipped the mass attack that apparently occured in May.

You can turn kale into crispy seaweed for Chinese meals too - baking tray, salt, hot oven, done.