All Hail Curly Kale!
This morning I made an impromptu pre-work trip to the plot for some curly kale to have with dinner. Being one of the few veg coming off the plot at the moment, it’s taken a right bashing during January.
I’ve picked more than 600g over five harvests, which roughly equated to 42 of the tasty green leaves, from only four brilliant plants. For me, that’s one selfless, generous and productive vegetable.
Money Saver
I’ve used it in Pink of Perfection’s butternut squash and sausage casserole, chickpea and coconut curry, stir fry and as accompanying greens. It’s a wonderful thing, and at £5.95 a kilo in the shops, a good one to grow if saving money’s an objective. In fact, I saved a tidy £3.64 on kale alone during January.
Healthy
What’s more, kale is very good for me. It is stuffed full of carotenoids, which are thought to be powerful anti-cancer agents, as well as Vitamins A and C and iron.
Reliable
However, the thing I love about kale the most is not its superfood qualities, its lovely bright green leaves or the sweet cabbagey taste. No, I love kale simply because it is there when I need it. It’s tremendously hardy, defying anything winter can conjure up. ‘Eat me Jono, I’m here, you can rely on me,’ the tall green plant says when everything around is falling away.
There’s even a variety called Hungry Gap, celebrating this lonely and resilient existence.
Easy to Grow
Kale is dead easy to grow as well. It doesn’t mind poor soil, will tolerates shade, and seeds germinate at 5oC. The plant happily shrugs off the cold, and the leaves even sweeten after a frost.
I grow Dwarf Green Curled, although I’m tempted by the startlingly purple Scarlet next time around, as well as Hungry Gap for the sheer romance of it.
I could not be without kale, and I planted another late row towards the end of last summer, just in case I ate too much. I might not need it, but whatever happens, I’ll still get my greens.
All hail kale.
Tagged casserole, curly kale, curry, kale
In 2007, I took on a redundant allotment plot with my gardening-mad mum Jan. As all good mums do, she went along with it, but I don’t think she held out much hope.
During 2011, I kept a diary of how much money I save from growing my own fruit and vegetables.
After totalling all my outgoings, I saved approximately £500 over the year.
I made a spreadsheet to calculate these savings - it’s nothing too complicated, as I’m no Excel guru, but hopefully someone else will find it as useful (and strangely fun) as me.
For more info,
SunnyUFebruary 4, 2011 at 3:04 pm
I love kale too!! It’s very popular in Germany (where I’m from) and there are special deals in pubs/restaurants etc offering kale based meals after it had its first frost.
I tried growing some myself but I think I left it too late in the summer last year so they didn’t get to grow much and then I didn’t net them so the wood pigeons had a right feast on them and when I came to check on them after a weekend, they had been completely stripped!!
Must try harder this year…
JonoFebruary 5, 2011 at 9:45 amAuthor
Hi Sunny.
Wow, I’d love to go to a pub or restaurant were they did special kale based meals!
Its normally white fly that causes me problems, rather than the pigeons. I planted African Marigolds around the kale last year, and that seemed to keep it away.
Good luck this year!
Real Men Sow » Blog Archive » Six Great Veg for Shady SpotsFebruary 16, 2011 at 9:16 am
[...] I love kale, and I grow lots of the dwarf curled variety on the plot. This is the standard green leaf job, but some of the more exotic varieties are stunning. The [...]
Real Men Sow » Blog Archive » Can I Sell My Allotment Produce?February 27, 2011 at 8:32 pm
[...] grown far too much curly kale this year. I did this because I really love it, but now I’ve got a whole row of spare dwarf kale going [...]
Real Men Sow » Blog Archive » I Really Should Eat More Perpetual Spinach.March 13, 2011 at 9:36 am
[...] According to the RMS Veg Savings Spreadsheet, it is by far the most expensive vegetable presently on the plot or in store. At £8.30 a kilo, it is £1.30 more expensive at that weight than the next priciest veg, curly kale. [...]
Real Men Sow » Blog Archive » How Much Money Can Growing My Own Save Me? April UpdateMay 3, 2011 at 6:06 pm
[...] Left? Of my winter grub, I’ve got half a dozen leeks left, the dregs of my curly kale, and some finally failing perpetual spinach. There are three squashes left in store which are [...]
Real Men Sow » Blog Archive » How Much Money Can Growing My Own Save Me? May UpdateMay 31, 2011 at 6:06 pm
[...] went soft, I pulled up the last leeks, and the ever faithful combo of perpetual spinach and curly kale went to [...]
Real Men Sow » Blog Archive » A Difficult Winter Ahead?October 13, 2011 at 6:51 pm
[...] by whitefly, to the point where getting the eggs off before I eat it is near on impossible. Kale has been a mainstay of my winter diet ever since I took my plot on, and we tend to eat it at least once a week. I’m hoping a cold snap [...]
Real Men Sow » Blog Archive » Come Dine With Me, Real Men Sow StyleDecember 11, 2011 at 7:17 pm
[...] If I was going to do something a little different though, I might make beetroot burgers, which is an old favourite in our house. I could make my own baps, add some herbs to the bread for an allotmenty connection, and then serve with a mixture of parsnip, sweet potato and potato wedges. Greens would come courtesy of the ever faithful curly kale. [...]