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Vermont Garden Journal: Kale

Jeff Aldrich
/
Flickr
Kale is a is a primitive cabbage that's also related to rutabagas. The Lacinato variety, seen here, is a great choice for soups and stews.

Kale continues to amaze me, especially this time of year. Not only does it survive cold temperatures, it shines. The flavor gets sweeter and the texture more tender with the shorter, cooler days. It's a vegetable that's hard not to love.

Kale is actually a primitive cabbage, related to the rutabaga. Kale will last into winter, and even into the spring if protected in the garden with a winter row cover.

There are a wide number of varieties on the market from different origins.

Red Russian

Red Russian is a thin-leaf variety that looks like a rutabaga, without the root. Leaves are green with red veins.

Try it finely chopped and tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic for a raw salad.

Bor Kales

These varieties, which include the Redbor, Starbor and Winterbor, look like headless, frilly cabbage.

Dinosaur Kale (Lacinato)

This classic variety can also be called, “palm cabbage,” for its unusually shaped leaves.

The leaves stay crunchy when cooked, making this variety a great choice for soups and stews.

Kalette

This variety is actually a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts. It grows on a stem like Brussels sprouts, but instead of small cabbages forming along the stem, it has red kale heads.

Try tossing Kalette heads into a bowl of Chinese noodles.

Which variety makes the best Kale chips?

Scots Kale seems to make the best kale chips. 

This week’s garden tip

Don't worry if this warm fall weather has your bulbs sprouting. They will stop growing with the colder weather without any damage.

Charlie Nardozzi is a nationally recognized garden writer, radio and TV show host, consultant, and speaker. Charlie is the host of All Things Gardening on Sunday mornings at 9:35 during Weekend Edition on Vermont Public. Charlie is a guest on Vermont Public's Vermont Edition during the growing season. He also offers garden tips on local television and is a frequent guest on national programs.
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