I honestly have a ridiculous amount of Kale. And given how much it’s been producing, I could have easily planted a third of what I did. But you can’t complain about abundance. Here it is in the back row; still towering despite my aggressive harvesting.
Now don’t get me wrong; I am a huge fan of Kale. It’s full of vitamins A, C B6 and K and is a great source of fibre and calcium. And you can grow it all year long; it will tolerate full summer sun but can also happily over-winter in the garden as it thrives in heavy rain and is even sweeter after first frost.
My children and the neighbourhood kids have taken to eating it right out of the garden but for the rest of us, steaming it for 4-8 minutes and adding to everything from mashed potatoes for the Irish dish Colcannon to tossing it in tahini is ideal. Just leave the plant intact and harvest from the base of the stem. Keep the leaves and discard the stem. I’ve been freezing it so I can add it to soups, stews and tomato sauce later in the year (which is somewhat neurotic considering I may never run out of the fresh stuff-especially given that it will self-sow!). And you can even dehydrate it to make kale chips; Karen-can we talk you into sharing your recipe…?
For this year’s kale over abundance, try making kale chips. Spray the leaves with or shake them in a little bit of olive oil. Then sprinkle with whatever seasoning or topping you like. Finally, dehydrate until crispy or bake at your oven’s lowest temp until crispy. These are so darn addictive! Better than potato chips! If you like strong flavored chips, let the leaves marinate in your olive oil/seasoning mix before drying or baking. Use parchment paper to prevent sticking to the racks/trays.
Thanks so much Diana!