Kale

 

You will see two different kinds of Kale at Fort Hill Farm, Curly Green Kale and Lacinato Kale (dark green with bumpy leaves also known as Dinosaur Kale).

 

Storage and Handling:

Store Kale in a loosely closed plastic bag in your refrigerator for up to a week.

 

* Farmers tip:  I like to take one of the many plastic shopping bags I have under my sink (from the times I foolishly forget my canvas bags at home) and put the Kale in leaf-end first.  Then I wrap the handles around the bottom of the stems.  This will keep the leaves crisp and fresh and expose just the end of the stems.

 

Now you have a personal choice to make before cooking your kale, do you cook the stems with your kale or discard them?  You can go both ways but keep in mind that the stems are tougher than the leaves and you will need to cook the kale longer so that the stems are tender.

 

* Farmer tip:  I like to de-stem my kale before I cook and eat it.  An easy way to do this is to grab an individual kale leaf and hold it by the stem with the leaf pointing downward.  Wrap your fingers around the stem and gently glide them down the stem, this action will separate the leaf from the stem and works best on Lacinato Kale. 

For Curly Green Kale I hold the leaf the same way and grab one side of the leaf and tear downward separating half of the leaf from the stem and then continue to the other side.

 

Culinary Uses:

Kale is usually best when cooked; there are some exceptions though (try the kale salad recipe!).  Kale can be steamed, boiled, braised, sautéed, added to soups, pastas, rice, you name it. 

 

Kale is one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables and can be made in so many delicious ways.  Be creative and give it a try!