I stroll through the Addison Community Garden. It always picks up my spirits to see all the fresh vegetables and flowers bursting with life. Today, the vegetables catch my eye — especially the leafy greens. The tag on the plant in the photo says “Purple Kale.” I have eaten kale in salads and just raw by itself. Of course, it is nothing like a melt-in-your-mouth warm cookie, but it is crunchy, flavorful and edible. I do know people who would never touch the stuff. It’s much too healthy for them — and their bodies show it. I would say kale is an acquired taste. If you keep repeating over and over “It’s good for me,” you will eventually learn to like it. The one place I don’t like kale is in a smoothie. I had one at the mall once and did not like the lumps of green in my otherwise tasty drink. Maybe if it was chopped up finer and blended smoothly, I would like it better. Whatever your feelings about kale, let’s learn more about this love-me-or-hate-me vegetable.
According to Wikipedia, kale or leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage — Brassica oleracea — cultivars grown for their edible leaves, although some are used as ornamentals. Kale plants have green or purple leaves, and the central leaves do not form a head as with headed cabbage. Kales are considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most of the many domesticated forms of Brassica oleracea.
Kale originated in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, where it was cultivated for food beginning by 2000 BCE at the latest. Curly-leaved varieties of cabbage already existed along with flat-leaved varieties in Greece in the 4th century BC. These forms — which were referred to by the Romans as Sabellian kale — are considered to be the ancestors of modern kales. Sabellians is a collective ethnonym for a group of Italic peoples or tribes inhabiting central and southern Italy at the time of the rise of Rome.
The earliest record of cabbages in western Europe is of hard-heading cabbage in the 13th century. Records in 14th-century England distinguish between hard-heading cabbage and loose-leaf kale.
Russian kale was introduced into Canada, and then into the United States, by Russian traders in the 19th century. U.S. Department of Agriculture botanist David Fairchild is credited with introducing kale and many other crops to Americans, having brought it back from Croatia — although Fairchild himself disliked cabbages, including kale. At the time, kale was widely grown in Croatia mostly because it was easy to grow and inexpensive and could desalinate soil. For most of the 20th century, kale was primarily used in the United States for decorative purposes; it became more popular as an edible vegetable in the 1990s due to its nutritional value.
During World War II, the cultivation of kale and other vegetables in the U.K. was encouraged by the Dig for Victory campaign. The vegetable was easy to grow and provided important nutrients missing from a diet because of rationing.
Cultivation
Kale is usually an annual plant grown from seed with a wide range of germination temperatures. It is hardy and thrives in wintertime and can survive in temperatures as low as –15.0° Celsius. Kale can become sweeter in taste after a heavy frost.
One may differentiate between kale varieties according to the low, intermediate or high length of the stem, along with the variety of leaf types. The leaf colors range from light green to green, to dark green and violet-green, to violet-brown.
Classification by leaf type:
Curly kale – Scots kale, blue curled kale
According to the Dec. 29, 2020 article “What the Kale Is That?! A Guide to Organic Kale Varieties” at blog.bostonorganics.com, curly leaf kale is probably the most recognizable variety of this popular brassica because it was used as a garnish in fancy restaurants for decades. Curly leaf kale can come in different colors ranging from dark green to purple, but its tightly ruffled leaves are its distinguishing feature.
It has an assertive flavor with peppery and bitter qualities.
Curly leaf kale is best used in recipes with melted cheeses and/or flavorful sauces. While this variety isn’t the best to eat raw, sauces stick well to the frilly leaves. The thick stalks are edible but require more cooking time than the leaves.
Bumpy-leaf aka black cabbage, Tuscan cabbage or kale, lacinato and dinosaur kale
Lacinato kale is a favorite variety among kale amateurs and fanatics alike. It is also known as Tuscan kale or “dinosaur” kale because its bumpy leaves have a seemingly reptilian appearance.
Its flavor is more delicate with a slightly sweet nuttiness and less bitterness than curly-leaf kale.
Bumpy-leaf kale is the best variety for eating raw, but it also retains its pleasant texture when cooked. The stems are edible but should be chopped into bite-sized pieces.
Plain leaf – flat-leaf types like red Russian and white Russian kale
Red Russian kale comes in many shades of red, green and purple. The leaves are flat and fringed, similar to oversized arugula or oak leaves.
Its flavor is mild and slightly sweet, with a dash of pepperiness.
The flat leaves of red Russian kale make them easy to bake into kale chips, but you can also steam, blanch or sauté them for a sweeter flavor. The woody stems are particularly fibrous and should be removed. Fortunately, because the leaves are flat it is easy to cut or tear the leaves off.
Leaf and spear, or feathery-type leaf (a cross between curly- and plain-leaf) – Siberian kale
According to the article “Siberian Kale” at specialtyproduce.com, Siberian kale has hardy white stems that run from the base of the root through the leaves. The leaves of Siberian kale are large and flat with edges that have a ruffled shape. Leaves have a delicate texture and are bluish green in color. This kale variety is exceptionally tender and offers a mild cabbage-like flavor. Its texture is much more delicate and flavor mild when compared to that of the more well-known European varieties of kale.
Siberian kale is delicate enough to be used raw in salads yet sturdy enough to stand up to salad dressings. The tender texture and mild flavor of the young leaves are ideal for use in quick stir-fries, salads, juices or atop flatbreads. Full-sized leaves work well as a cooked vegetable and can be sautéed, steamed, wilted, fried, dehydrated and even baked. Its flavor pairs well with garlic, shallots, sweet potato, avocado, pancetta, pine nuts, cream-based sauces and dressings, butter, olive oil, light-bodied vinegars, robust cheeses and fresh herbs such as thyme, sage and rosemary.
Ornamental (less palatable and tougher leaves) – peacock, coral prince, kamone coral queen, color up and chidori
According to Wikipedia, many varieties of kale and cabbage are grown mainly for ornamental leaves that are brilliant white, red, pink, lavender, blue or violet in the interior of the rosette. Ornamental kale is as edible as any other variety, but potentially not as palatable. Kale leaves are increasingly used as an ingredient for vegetable bouquets and wedding bouquets.
Nutritional value
Raw kale is composed of 84% water, 9% carbohydrates, 4% protein and 1% fat. In a 3 1/2 oz serving, raw kale provides 49 kilocalories of food energy and a large amount of vitamin K at 3.7 times the Daily Value or DV. It is a rich source — 20% or more of the DV — of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate and manganese. Kale is a good source — 10–19% DV — of thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E and several dietary minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium and phosphorus. Boiling raw kale diminishes most of these nutrients, while values for vitamins A, C and K, along with manganese, remain substantial.
Kale is a source of carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. As with broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, kale contains glucosinolate compounds, such as glucoraphanin, which contributes to the formation of sulforaphane, a compound under preliminary research for its potential to affect human health beneficially.
Boiling kale decreases the level of glucosinate compounds, whereas steaming, microwaving or stir frying does not cause significant loss. Kale is high in oxalic acid, the levels of which can be reduced by cooking.
Kale contains high levels of polyphenols, such as ferulic acid, with levels varying due to environmental and genetic factors.
Culinary uses
Flavored “kale chips" have been produced as a potato chip substitute.
In the Netherlands, a traditional winter dish called "boerenkoolstamppot" is a mix of curly kale and mashed potatoes, sometimes with fried bacon, and served with “rookworst” or smoked sausage.
The participants in a “Kohlfahrt” or cabbage walk arrange a walk through the countryside to a village pub, usually in mid-winter. Often this walk is linked with cross-country games like Boßeln and the like. As fortification against the frosty weather and in preparation for the hearty meal, an ample supply of alcoholic beverages, such as korn, or for sailors, sherry, is taken in a shopping trolley or handcart, which are handed out as part of the games or at waypoints along the walk e.g., at crossroads or pylons. At the village pub, the merry walkers are served with Grünkohl and, depending on the region, with sweet baked potatoes or boiled potatoes and Kassler, Bregenwurst, Pinkel or Kohlwurst. In addition, there is also much to drink, allegedly to aid the digestion. In many areas there is also music and dancing after the meal.
Ribollita is a famous Tuscan bread soup, a hearty potage made with bread and vegetables. There are many variations, but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, cavolo nero or lacinato kale, cabbage and inexpensive vegetables such as carrots, beans, chard, celery, potatoes and onions. Its name means "reboiled." Like most Tuscan cuisine, the soup has peasant origins. It was originally made by reheating i.e., reboiling the leftover minestrone or vegetable soup from the previous day. Some sources date it back to the Middle Ages when the servants gathered up food-soaked bread trenchers from feudal lords' banquets and boiled them for their dinners.
A traditional Portuguese soup, caldo verde, combines pureed potatoes, very finely sliced kale, olive oil and salt. Additional ingredients can include broth and sliced, cooked spicy sausage.
In Ireland, kale is mixed with mashed potatoes to make the traditional dish colcannon. It is popular on Halloween, when it may be served with sausages.
In literature
The Kailyard school of Scottish writers — which included J.M. Barrie who was the creator of Peter Pan — consisted of authors who wrote about traditional rural Scottish life. Kailyard means “Kale field.” In Cuthbertson's book “Autumn in Kyle and the charm of Cunninghame,” he states that Kilmaurs in East Ayrshire was famous for its kale, which was an important foodstuff. A story is told in which a neighboring village offered to pay a generous price for some kale seeds, an offer too good to turn down. The locals agreed, but a gentle roasting on a shovel over a coal fire ensured that the seeds never germinated.
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