Vegetable: kale description storing and serving

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KALE

Common Name(s): Kale, Borecole, Collards, Green Cabbage, German Greens Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea acephala Origin: Horticultural Hybrid

Varieties:

Dwarf Blue Curled (55 days)

Dwarf Blue Scotch (55 days)

Vates (55 days)

Dwarf Green Curled (60 days)

Description: Kale is a hardy biennial plant grown as an annual. It's a member of the cabbage family and looks like cabbage with a permanent wave. Scotch kale has gray-green leaves that are extremely crumpled and curly; Siberian or blue kale usually is less curly and is a bluer shade of green. There are also decorative forms with lavender and silver variegated leaves.

Storing And Preserving: If possible, leave kale in the garden until you want to eat it. It will store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for up to one week, or in a cold, moist place for up to three weeks. You can also freeze, can, or dry it; use recipes for greens.

Serving Suggestions: Young kale makes a distinctive salad green; dress it simply with oil and vinegar. You can also cook it in a little water and serve it with butter, lemon juice, and chopped bacon. Instead of boiling, try preparing it like spinach steamed with butter and only the water that clings to the leaves after washing.

The Italians steam kale until tender, then add olive oil, a little garlic, and breadcrumbs, and sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese in the last minute or two of cooking. You can also prepare kale Chinese style, stir-fried with a few slices of fresh gingerroot.

Source: Excerpted from Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia Typed by Dorothy Flatman, 1995

Submitted By DOROTHY FLATMAN On 03-21-95

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