Thursday, October 29, 2009

What's up with kale?

Did you ever go to a salad bar and see those leafy curly dark green robust leaves that were garnishing the edges of the refrigerated trays... highlighting the likes of iceburg lettuce?  Ironic really.  That's kale.  So often taking the lesser role of decoration rather than being recognized as the nutrient-dense food it is.  Get to know kale.  It's time.  It's easy to grow.  It resists pests heartily.  And it keeps growing after frost.  I like to cut it out of the garden, strip out the main vein, wash it, chop it, and boil it for 1-2 minutes, then drain, and toss with butter.  My 4 year old loves this vegetable!!  It tastes great!!  Sorta like broccoli but more mild.  And full of things your body will LOVE.  It's a part of the cabbage family.  You can also cut it up and eat it raw in a salad.  Or saute it with garlic and sea salt then add some soup broth.  Very good!  Here's some data from wikipedia:  Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory.[2]
Kale is very high in beta carotenevitamin Kvitamin Cluteinzeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium  

2 comments:

Terri said...

Amanda requested that I buy kale today and make it "the way Amy described on her blog, with butter." So, I'll let you know later how it goes over at dinner tonight.

Amy said...

Cool. Can't wait to hear the verdict Terri.