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serious kale question

nonightshades
nonightshades
my bed of kale is now growing at a decent rate. question is how big should i let the leaves get before beginning to harvest? one inch, two, four? i can see that it'll come back quickly once cut but is there an optimal size? cut my first romaine sunday (4 to 6 inches in length), wondered about the kale (biggest in an inch and one half).

sarcasm is welcome....if you give me an honest answer as well.
Lynne723
Lynne723
I don't know what kind of kale you planted (there are many!) :) Baby kale is awesome for smoothies and salads, tender and bite-sized. But curly kale can grow to 8-12" as can some other kinds of kale. Of course, then you have to remove the main rib before you use the kale...
depotblue
depotblue
unless we have farmers on here you are going to end up googling this question I would hazard.

i'm in the frozen tundra still. temp this morning 15. , I buy veggies now.

i used purple kale (dark red) in a navy bean soup this weekend and it was awesome. I know. heresy.

it was sweet: honest and the colors are so beautiful that it's kind of cheery.

big fry pan:

chopped onion in veggie broth
add small chopped carrot and celery
add one teaspoon of tomato paste buy an organic brand if you can
add some crushed red pepper flakes
add veggie no salt broth and two sprigs of Rosemary
add the de-ribbed shredded into small pieces of purple kale (can look dark red) and get rid of the smaller ribs as well as the main stem also, the smaller the pieces the better - get someone to shred for you - use the whole bunch because you know bluedogs' horses will not eat it
add the navy beans buy the no salt ones in the politically correct can...you don't have to drain the can if you buy the no salt

simmer.

this is sweet it's not bitter, honest. toss the sprig

eat the soup

i PROMISE it is not bitter. I am a sweet woman and I do NOT like the taste of bitter.

this should do it for you. let me know. i liked it so much that the pot from sunday is gone so I want more.
nancyfoco
nancyfoco
Really does depend what kind you are growing. Many types have leaves that are often 10-12 inches. I imagine that the smaller leaves will be more tender and sweet.

My soil is still frozen...
nonightshades
nonightshades
okay, my guess is from what has been replied, there's not really a better/worse size. I'm eating it raw w/ romaine ros13, and i'll certainly not use any tomato or red pepper because both cause me to swell up and hurt like described in the other recent threads....but your recipe sounds good. as good as the Italian restaurant i drove past at lunch today.
hilynnea
hilynnea
Sorry nonightshades don't know the answer but thanks Ros for the recipe.
WaterLily14
WaterLily14
Can't say about the kale harvesting, no experience there.

But Ros, the soup recipe sounds awesome - I will be trying it!