My mom never cooked with kale when I was a child and I never even thought about serving it to my children … until this summer. In fact it was my twenty-eight year old daughter, Laura, who first made me aware that kale was something good to eat. She was receiving weekly community supported agriculture (CSA) shares from a local farmer when she lived in Kentucky and her kitchen was overrun with this unfamiliar vegetable. During our weekly phone calls she talked about the different ways she was preparing it, including making kale chips for my grandson. I thought to myself, Kale grows well here in Alaska. Maybe I should include it in my vegetable garden.

Red Russian kale is one of my favorite flower garden features in the fall. Why I never considered eating kale until recently is perhaps simply because I never knew of anyone who actually cooked with kale. This may be shocking for some, especially those from other regions who consider kale a staple. I certainly feel embarrassed, as a gardener and someone who tries to eat healthy foods, to have just discovered the wonder of edible kale after 30 years of gardening in Alaska. Spinach was always my cooked green of choice even though growing it successfully has been beyond my reach so far. Part of the problem might be my impatient gardening habits, but the main issue is our long daylight hours in the summer, which cause spinach to bolt, or go to seed, before the leaves are good eating size. After the success I enjoyed this summer growing kale, which does not bolt because it is a biennial and blooms in its 2nd year, I am done trying to grow spinach, for now. In my garden plants have to put up with a little neglect to survive. 

Kale grows exceptionally well with very little care in Alaska—and it is pretty. The dwarf green curled variety of kale seed I bought from Denali Seed Company produced the most robust and pest free plants I have ever grown. The seeds can be planted directly in the ground a few weeks before the last frost, but I prefer to start my seeds indoors. I find it easier to keep an eye on my young seedlings and keep them watered when I start them inside. In other areas of the country you may read that kale is a fall crop. While it is true that the flavor of kale will sweeten after a hard frost, our growing season is so short and our temperatures are cool enough that we can grow and harvest this nutritious food all summer here. If you have some room in your garden it is not too late to plant a few seeds for harvesting into September and early October. You can begin harvesting in about a month and kale reaches maturity in 50-80 days. Kale is so frost resistant some people have harvested their kale from under a blanket of snow. 

Kale is chock-full of nutrients and one cup of chopped kale contains only 33 calories. In addition to being a great source of fiber and antioxidants, one cup contains more than our daily requirements of vitamins A (206%), C (134%), and K (684%). Kale is considered a superfood and is currently very trendy so I suppose I shouldn’t feel too chagrined since many other people are just now discovering what a valuable food source it is. 

By the end of June I made three batches of kale chips—a huge kale salad with lentils, green apples and onion—a couple quinoa, kale, and bacon meals—quinoa and kale quesadillas—and some smoothies. I chopped and blanched enough for a couple packages to store in the freezer for later, plus I shared some with family and friends. All this production came from only five plants. Did I mention this was all before July 1st and the plants are still producing prolifically? If you want to eat kale raw in salads pick the leaves when they are very young and more tender. Kale is a versatile ingredient you can add to almost any recipe including soups, casseroles, stir-fries, egg dishes, and the list goes on. It can be blanched and frozen or canned for use all winter. I have a friend in Egypt and I asked her if she has ever cooked with kale. She said, “Of course. Kale is a common staple here. My mom used to make the best pickled kale.”  So, I may be a bit behind the rest of the world, but I am happy that now I too have discovered the treasure of kale.

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Kale Chips

Fresh kale

Olive oil spray

Salt

Wash and dry enough kale to cover a large cookie sheet

Remove the stems and tear into pieces, not too small as they will shrink

Spray olive oil on kale and toss (I use a Misto® oil sprayer)

(As an alternative, you can toss the kale in a bowl with 2 T. olive oil)

Lightly sprinkle with salt (or other seasonings) and toss

Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes at 350°F and watch carefully so they do not overcook and become bitter 

Some people like to cook them longer at a lower temperature or use a dehydrator which will preserve more of the nutrients. My grandsons and I are not that patient. They love kale chips warm and fresh right out of the oven. In fact when my oldest grandson sees the kale growing in my garden he says, “Gramma Wendy, can we make kale chips please?!”