# Kale



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Anyone grow Kale? What varieties do you grow? 

Last fall and winter, I grew Red Russian and Lacinato (Tuscan). Iâ€™m adding Siberian kale this year. 

Thereâ€™s ton of other varieties, wondering if there are favorites out there.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Yes, I grow it every year and have done so probably the last 15 years or so.

I have found "Curly Kale" to be the best tasting variety...mild.

The "premier kale" variety is good and very cold weather tolerant.

The "siberian kale" produces very large beautiful leaves which my wife loves to use in vegetable trays and serving aid. 

We have evolved to the use of the leaves as decoration for serving dishes as the primary use now. We eat some fixed like spinach but primarily use it as decoration. 

Very easy to grow and will grow all fall, winter and even in spring here. I've had some plants reach 4 ft high and loaded with leaves.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

*Kale pictures*

From year's past:


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Very Nice. My dad had a friend that would grow the Siberian variety and then braise the leaves with maybe a little bacon and onion and dad said it was very good. That's why I decided to plant Siberian kale. Last year, we used the Tuscan kale a lot for soup such as Zuppa Toscana and other soups with white beans and sausage. The Red Russian variety was good in fresh salads. My wife doesn't like collard or mustard greens, but she likes kale. 


There must be 10 or 12 varieties or more. Interesting to see which ones people are growing and what they do with it.


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## BigTim (Dec 3, 2006)

karstopo said:


> My wife doesn't like collard or mustard greens, but she likes kale.
> 
> If you haven't already, try Swiss Chard. I always said it was the greens for people who don't like greens. A little steam or stir fry with bacon drippings and onion and they are done in a minute or two.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

We did a little Swiss chard. It didnâ€™t do as well as the kale. Neither did the beets I tried to grow and Swiss chard is in the beet family. Real estate in the garden is too scarce for low performing plants. 

Might try Swiss chard again. Still planning to expand the garden once things really cool off. I do all my soil working with a shovel, no roto-tiller, so Iâ€™d like it to be a little more comfortable to do that kind of labor. I enjoy working the soil that way and have access to a tiller. Itâ€™s part of my stay in shape program. Why go and do meaningless workouts when thereâ€™s soil to turn!


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

BigTim said:


> ...it was the greens for people who don't like greens. ...


That's a good way to describe Swiss Chard. We always have a few plants every winter.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

karstopo said:


> We did a little Swiss chard. It didnâ€™t do as well as the kale. Neither did the beets I tried to grow and Swiss chard is in the beet family. Real estate in the garden is too scarce for low performing plants.
> 
> Might try Swiss chard again. Still planning to expand the garden once things really cool off. I do all my soil working with a shovel, no roto-tiller, so Iâ€™d like it to be a little more comfortable to do that kind of labor. I enjoy working the soil that way and have access to a tiller. Itâ€™s part of my stay in shape program. Why go and do meaningless workouts when thereâ€™s soil to turn!


Same here. In the past I used a rototiller, but now I use a garden fork. I have wood chips in my walking rows, and any power equipment tends to make a mess on those chips. The other big reason is that I can work in more compost deeply the way that I turn it with the fork. Lastly, it is a good workout that I spread out over about a week to 10 days for both gardens.
Karstopo..... Try using a garden fork instead of the shovel. You'll like it.

I think that my garden sizes are about as big as you would want to do that way though. There are some poster on this site, with big gardens, that need some serious power equipment to get the job done.

I don't have the fall garden option that you guy's do, so I try to turn over 1/3 to 1/2 of my garden space in the fall before the ground freezes. Rows prepped in the fall only need a light raking to be "plant ready" in the spring.

Sorry about taking the Kale thread on a tangent.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Any particular brand or type of fork you can recommend? I have mostly heavy clay soil with an over layer of silt that Iâ€™ve been amending with compost.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

https://hosstools.com/product/garden-fork/

Went ahead and got this one. Expensive, but the Reviews were great.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Wow... That looks like a really nice one! Given that you have heavy clay soil, it's probably good that you bought one that is better, and stronger, than the one that I use in my sandy loam. You will like the easier penetration into the soil and it will help to break up clumps much better than a shovel.

You will find that adding compost over time, and turning it under, will help to make your soil less heavy.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

I can already notice a difference in the soil with the added compost. I've put in a bag or three of potting soil along they way too. There are still some spots with more clumpy clay and those areas get the most compost.


I've added a second compost pile that just needs more raw material to start cooking. Leaves, Spanish moss, worn out vegetable plants, vegetable trimmings all go in, but it's been harder than I thought to come up with enough raw material to keep me in sufficient well-aged compost. I'm trying to avoid bringing in outside material, other than a bag here and there of potting mix.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Be careful about adding much potting soil to your garden. I can't remember the reasons why, be it seems like a couple of my gardening books, or sights on the Net, discouraged using it in gardens. They gave the reasoning on why it's good in potted situations, but not in the garden. Maybe do some searching on this before adding too much more. 

This surprised me a bit because I thought that anything that lighted and loosened the soil would be a good addition. Top soil and compost additions both seem to be favored.


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## hk (Oct 31, 2011)

I use horse manure with lots of hay in it to help my compost pile .I also add horse manure directly to garden at the end of summer every couple of years with fantastic results.I leave it on top usually about three weeks and then turn it in.Worms in the garden always thrive when I add the manure.Super for the garden all the way around.I love all kinds of greens,but I never acquired a taste for kale.Does not cook down tender enough for me.Hope everyone has a great fall/winter garden.

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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

We use kale a lot in soups such as this one with sausage and potatoes. 
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/231287/sausage-potato-and-kale-soup/
Kale makes for good salads like this one. 
https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipe...d-with-lemon-garlic-vinaigrette-and-parmesan/
My daughter makes kale chips. 
Kale has a reputation for being a trendy green, but itâ€™s been around in some of the European cuisines, such as the Italian and Portuguese cultures, for centuries.

Everyone has different tastes, though.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

This was the last of my Tuscan kale from this past spring going into a sausage and cannellini bean soup.









It doesnâ€™t take much space to grow enough kale to keep us in soup and salad. Photo from February 2019. Hope to have something similar in 2020.


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## hk (Oct 31, 2011)

I have had kale chips before and they were pretty good now that you mention it.

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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

I plant about 12â€™ of Siberian Kale in a row. Got the seed from Riefels. What deal their seed is, a heaping tablespoon is 90 cents. Planted last Saturday and it was all up by Wednesday, I guess thatâ€™s what warm weather and over an inch of rain will do. Riefels doesnâ€™t carry Tuscan Kale seed but I had a little left over from last year from another vendor. It didnâ€™t sprout at near the rate as the Siberian kale, but enough so that it will work out. Seed was garage kept and not climate controlled so I think that year and half old seed garage kept that sprout at all is pretty good. 

I donâ€™t grow everything from seed as my garden is small, but kale is a good one to grow from seed in my area as it can grow all fall, winter and into the early spring. Thereâ€™s no rush to get a crop in before something adverse weatherwise comes along like too much heat or cold. 90 cents of seed could plant my entire garden in kale if I wanted that. By December, I should be picking leaves off the plants and be getting some thinnings for additions to salads before that.


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## old 37 (Nov 30, 2014)

karstopo said:


> https://hosstools.com/product/garden-fork/
> 
> Went ahead and got this one. Expensive, but the Reviews were great.


Our winter garden is Curly Kale, Bright Lights Swiss Chard and Arugula, we eat them every day and give lots away.Kale Chips are my specialty.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

older 37 said:


> ....Kale Chips are my specialty.


So, how do you fix them?


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## old 37 (Nov 30, 2014)

Meadowlark said:


> So, how do you fix them?


Cut the kale off the stems , then into piece x 2" by 2 or 3 " ( whatever size you like really). Then wash and dry and put into a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and arrange on a cookie sheet . Then cook for about 8 minutes at 385 degrees or until you see the edges getting stiff then take out and air cool. Fantastic stuff but addictive. DO NOT OVER OLIVE OIL THEM, really just a touch.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

*Kale chips*

I got em a little salty, too salty...but other than that fantastic.

I'll try again soon.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Looks good, my daughter loves those making kale chips.


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## old 37 (Nov 30, 2014)

My winter garden is always Arugula, Swiss Chard and Green Curly Kale and as always, I have to give a lot away as we can't eat it all.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Looks good. I took my Tuscan kale out a week or so ago and put in some squash. We had had enough of kale for a while. 

Only winter crops I have remaining are spinach, a few carrots, and some lettuce. Weâ€™ve been sharing those with my folks.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

I just leave mine alone and let it continue to grow. It gets too strong to eat but it makes a beautiful plant in the garden and will continue to grow several months reaching heights of 5 feet or more. Really a beautiful plant.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Another reason to let your kale and chard. and others continue in the garden awhile in late spring is the possibility of a cool spell. This past week of cool weather has been a real boost to my late kale and chard. Both growing like crazy and producing very mild, best of the year tasting produce.


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