Kale is not just for Colcannon – it’s an easy to grow superfood
From Gwynnie to Jamie, everyone’s raving about kale – and it’s really simple to raise from seed
The public image of kale has changed dramatically in recent years. Once considered a fodder crop fit only for overwintering cattle, it’s now hailed as a superfood because its leaves are packed with vitamins and antioxidants.
Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and other TV chefs rave about it, as do A-listers such as Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who claims kale is ‘one of the best things you can put in your system’.
We’re clearly taking notice – there was a reported 166% rise in the number of new food products containing kale between 2012 and 2013. Step into a health-food shop and you’ll find kale crisps, juices and ready meals.
Fresh kale is sold in supermarkets all year round. Most shops sell just one variety – the green, curly kind that’s used to make Colcannon – but there are many others.
Some of these are also highly ornamental, with the sort of good looks that have seen them earn promotion from vegetable plots to beds and borders. Plants really earn their keep in winter thanks to their ability to cope with wind, rain and temperatures as low as -15°C.
You’ll save a packet if you grow your own. Kale is one of the most expensive vegetables you can buy, with a 200g bag costing up to €1.20. By comparison, a packet of 190 seeds will set you back about €2.70, and a single plant can provide up to 375g of leaves.
Originally native to Mediterranean regions, kale has been cultivated for 2,000 years. A member of the brassica family, along with cabbages, Brussels sprouts and cauliflowers, it arrived in Britain with the Romans and in Ireland after that. It was the most widely eaten vegetable in Britain until it was largely replaced by the cabbage during the Middle Ages.
Nobody much bothered with kale again until World War II, when the British government encouraged its cultivation as part of its Dig For Victory campaign. The campaign was an effort to reduce Britain’s reliance on imports which were targets for German U-boats.
There are lots of excellent varieties these days. ‘Curly Scarlet’ grows to 3ft and has tightly curled red leaves that intensify in colour after frost, while ‘Redbor’ boasts frilly green leaves with red veins.
The greyish-green, oak leafshaped foliage of ‘Red Russian’ are highly attractive and take on purplish hues when temperatures plummet. Those wanting pure green leaves should try ‘Fizz’ or ‘Bolshoi’.
For my money, the most desirable variety of all is black Tuscan kale, which features a dramatic 3ft clump of narrow, dark green leaves that are deeply crinkled – it looks particularly good when the foliage is covered with a sugary hoar frost.
As with all brassicas, kale does best in a neutral to alkaline environment. Seeds can be sown directly into warm soil outside from early spring to early summer to provide pickings from summer into autumn.
Make a trench an inch deep and place three seeds every 18in along its length. Keep the strongest of each trio of seedlings and remove the two others. Pick entire plants when they’re about 6in tall, or pinch off leaves as required when they reach a height of 1ft.
Keep plants well watered, especially in the summer, and remove any weeds that appear. As kale grows it will become topheavy, so check plants regularly and make sure they remain firmly in the ground if they’ve been loosened by wind.