Official Introduction:

Meet Kale.  Kale is one of our favorite crops for many reasons including taste, cultivar variety, nutritional value, and hardiness in the field.  This spring we were amazed that some of our kale plants overwintered.   We gave them no special attention last fall.  The first frost in November gave them an extra sweetness. Then after a couple of really hard frosts, the plants appeared to wither and die as the brutal cold crept in. In the early spring new plants miraculously emerged from the old stems.  They were smaller leaves on little mini kale plants, so kind of weird but miraculous still.  Eventually we plowed the bed to replant for this year’s vegetable crop.

We will be presenting 5 different kales to you as the season unfolds.  The green curly stuff is the kale you normally see in the grocery stores.  The same leaf with a purplish red color is “red curly.”  The finger-like leaves are on Russian kales, either white or red.  And, still growing in the field, look forward to the infamous Dinosaur Kale.

Unlike chard (beet family), kale is in the brassica family along with cabbage and broccoli. The leaves of this plant are sometimes described as “tougher than other cooking greens” so many people use the leaves in soups or dishes that require long simmering.  It is true that the longer you cook kale, the more tender it gets.  Russian kale has a softer, more tender leaf than the standard curly kale.  Russian kale is especially good to sauté. Todd and I are fans of kale cooked all ways:  simmered in a little water or in soup, steamed, sautéed, juiced, raw in salads, and even baked. Baking kale can result in this yummy thing called Kale Chips.  The recipe is on our website along with a variation entitled Revolutionary Kale Recipe.  (You may also have heard its other name, Crispy Kale.)

If you are sautéing kale or eating it raw, consider chopping it into small pieces or strips. We have some customers who sneak kale puree and juice into their kids’ meals without them even knowing. 

Kale Salad With Raisins and Blue Cheese

By Mark Bittman

Use kale, not chard; instead of cooking, chop and drizzle kale with 1 teaspoon each olive oil and sherry vinegar; knead until tender. Toss with 2 grated carrots, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup blue cheese and honey-garlic vinaigrette: 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 1 garlic clove and 2 teaspoons honey.

Cooked Kale or Chard Salad With Peanut Vinaigrette

By Mark Bittman

Drizzle with peanut vinaigrette: 1/3 cup peanut oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 3 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts and 1 garlic clove. Garnish with 1/4 cup chopped scallions.

Irish kale Colcannon

Colcannon recipes commonly call for cabbage and copious amounts of butter.  This lightened version (from About.com) skips the excess fat and gets a nutrient boost from kale, another traditional—if lesser known—addition to the nutmeg-accented Irish potato dish.
Serves 4.  Prep: 10 minutes  Cook:  20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 bag of Peasants’ Plot potatoes, blue or otherwise, washed and cut into 1 –inch pieces
2 bunches of kale, rinsed with the tough center stems removed, chopped
1 T butter
½ c. milk or soymilk
¼ to ½ teaspoon nutmeg to taste
sea salt to taste

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.
While the potatoes are simmering, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the kale and saute until wilted and bright green, about 3 – 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.
When the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork, remove from heat and drain, Return the potatoes to the saucepan and mash with a fork.  Add the tablespoon of butter, milk, and nutmeg, and continue to mash until the ingredients are well incorporated and the potatoes reach your preferred consistency. 
Mix in the kale and taste for seasoning.  Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!

Green Soup with Sweet Potatoes

From Yogajournal.com reprinted with permission from Love Soup, by Anna Thomas (Norton and Company, 2009)

2 T olive oil, plus more for garnish
2 yellow onions, chopped
Sea salt
1 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 ½ cups water
2 -3 T chopped sage leaves
1 bunch kale
1 bunch chard
8 cloves garlic, peeled
3 cups vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice

Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt and stir frequently until the onions are soft and golden brown, 30 – 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the sweet potatoes in a large pot with 3 ½ cups water, ½ teaspoon salt, and the sage.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes.

Wash the kale and chard, trim away the tough stems, and chop.  Add to sweet potatoes along with garlic and vegetable broth.  Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.  Add the onions to the soup and let cool slightly.

Puree the mixture in a blender in batches, OR USE A HANDHELD BLENDER OR EMULSIFYING “STICK.”  Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  To serve, drizzle olive oil over individual bowls of soup.

Hey!  Some people DO eat the kale stems.   If you don’t like to snack on them raw, try this ambitious recipe I got online.  I consider the squid op-tion-al.    –Julia

Thai Kale Stem Salad (Yam Kanard)

1-2 bunches of kale, leaves removed
85g (3oz) squid, cut into thin slices
half a bunch of carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
85g (3oz) small peeled cooked shrimp 

1 T fish sauce (yummy just on its own!)
2 T lemon juice
1 t sugar
chili pepper
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 T fresh minced onions

Sesame Kale Salad

Remove kale leaves from stems.*
Chop kale into small pieces or strips.
Dressing:  Whisk together 2 parts sesame oil with one part apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. 
Add salt to taste (do add salt—it helps soften the leaves).
Drizzle dressing over kale and toss to coat.
Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds
Eat immediately or after chilling. 

*If you don’t like chewing on kale stems, you can always use them for a soup stock:  Boil alone or with other vegetables.  After boiling for a while, remove the stems.  Cool the water and freeze in containers for later use.

• Brown an onion and mushrooms (half pound)
• Chop 1 – 2 bunches of kale
• Add kale to pan and wilt (4 – 5 min)
• Add drained can of sliced beets or fresh if available
• Top with crumbled blue cheese or parmesan at serving time
• Top with toasted chopped walnuts or hazelnuts

Kale with Bacon

Bunch of kale, washed with stems removed
Slice of bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon onion powder or 1 T minced onion or garlic
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Pour water into your favorite skillet to a depth of 1 inch and bring to a boil.  Add kale, cover and cook over high heat until wilted but still bright green, about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cool water.  Saute bacon in same skillet until crisp.  Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Add onion or garlic to the bacon fat and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.   Whisk in the vinegar and oil.  Add drained kale to the skillet and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the bacon pieces over top.

Layered Kale Casserole

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
1 cup shredded cheese, your choice, or cottage cheese
¼ cup minced green onions or chives
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Annie’s makes a good one)
¼ cup skim milk (OR 2% if Organic Valley)
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp ground sage
¼ teaspoon rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
 2 cups chopped kale

Todd is in love with this recipe.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 1 1/2 –quart covered casserole dish.  Mix all ingredients except kale in a bowl.  Place half the kale in prepared casserole dish and spread rice mixture over evenly.  Cover with remaining kale.  Cover and bake 15- 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling.  Makes 4-6 servings, for real.

Kale Chip Recipe for Kale of all Kinds

De-vein the leaves and cut them into 1' squares.
Toss them in a bowl with a crushed garlic clove and about a tablespoon
of olive oil (per pound of veg) to coat lightly.
Preheat oven to 375.
Sprinkle with sea salt and spread the pieces on a flat baking sheet.  Bake for 6 – 8 minutes, watching closely.

White Bean/Kale Stew

2 c. beans, soaked in 3:1 water:bean ratio
2 T salt
2 T butter

Phase I veggies:
1 carrot diced
1 celery diced
1 onion diced
2-4 garlic cloves

Phase II veggies:
1 ½ c. tomato puree
1 c. roasted red peppers, chopped
1 bunch kale, chopped

2 bay leaves
1 T thyme
1 t red chili flakes
1 c. cream
1 ½ c. goat cheese

Bring beans to boil over medium high, skim foam and simmer, adding salt.  Simmer for one hour.  Meanwhile, sauté carrot, celery, onion, garlic.  Add Phase II ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.  Sitr beans and their broth into mixture, add spices and cook 20 minutes

Irish kale Colcannon

Colcannon recipes commonly call for cabbage and copious amounts of butter.  This lightened version (from About.com) skips the excess fat and gets a nutrient boost from kale, another traditional—if lesser known—addition to the nutmeg-accented Irish potato dish.
Serves 4.  Prep: 10 minutes  Cook:  20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 bag of Peasants’ Plot potatoes, blue or otherwise, washed and cut into 1 –inch pieces
2 bunches of kale, rinsed with the tough center stems removed, chopped
1 T butter
½ c. milk or soymilk
¼ to ½ teaspoon nutmeg to taste
sea salt to taste

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.
While the potatoes are simmering, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the kale and saute until wilted and bright green, about 3 – 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.
When the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork, remove from heat and drain, Return the potatoes to the saucepan and mash with a fork.  Add the tablespoon of butter, milk, and nutmeg, and continue to mash until the ingredients are well incorporated and the potatoes reach your preferred consistency. 
Mix in the kale and taste for seasoning.  Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!