EDIBLE GARDEN
HAZEL SILLVER’S Fashionable super food kale is a versatile, decorative leafy vegetable that’s easy to grow
Kale is an increasingly popular brassica, referred to as a super food because of its impressive nutrient content. It’s packed with magnesium and vitamins A and K and contains more vitamin C than oranges, more iron than beef, and more calcium than cows’ milk! It can be eaten as a side vegetable, enjoyed in warm salads, added to soups and stews, or made into a tasty snack called kale chips. It’s also easy to grow and so hardy that it will provide leaves from autumn to spring.
Yet another thing to love about kale is that it’s one of the most ornamental edibles: growing a variety of colours and forms together makes the veg patch look fabulous. ‘Black Magic’ (a cultivar of cavolo nero) has long dark leaves like ostrich feathers. ‘Redbor’ forms a stunning mound of curly purple red that looks too good to eat.
Sow kale direct into the vegetable patch now; alternatively, plant seedlings from the garden centre. It will grow in sun or semi-shade. Enrich soil by digging in well-rotted manure or compost, if necessar y; and add lime if soil is acidic. Rake; then firm by treading over the soil, before sowing or planting. Water in, and cover with netting to protect from butterflies (their eggs soon turn into kale-eating caterpillars) and birds.
Towards the end of July, start off kale (such as ‘Winterbor’ and ‘Nero di Toscana’) for winter picking. Sow in a greenhouse or on a windowsill; in September, it can be planted out and will feed you from November to March. Kale produces more growth when its leaves are picked, giving 4 or 5 yields from each plant.
To make delicious kale chips, dress ‘Dwar f Green Curled’ kale with coconut oil, ground cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and chilli flakes. Then dr y in a dehydrator or a ver y low oven with the door ajar.
This reliable leafy vegetable is a fabulous addition to your garden and your diet, and now is a great time to star t growing. Come September, you’ll be plucking the dark leaves to add to warming autumn dishes.