How did kale rise to power in the vegetable world and...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like kale because it's cheap and tasty.

I have to eat it cooked, though. People rave about massaged kale salads but I made one and the bitterness was overwhelming. It disgusted me. Was it because I used curly kale?

Young kale is sweet, old kale is bitter. I like the former and HATE the latter.

[Anonymous]

My husband and I just love kale. We eat it 2 to 3 times a week in the winter. Have not seen chocolate covered kale chips but now I'm going to look. I bet it has that salty sweet thing going on, which I like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like kale because it's cheap and tasty.

I have to eat it cooked, though. People rave about massaged kale salads but I made one and the bitterness was overwhelming. It disgusted me. Was it because I used curly kale?

Yes, you'll want to use dinosaur/lacinato kale for salads. Delicious, I promise!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like kale because it's cheap and tasty.

I have to eat it cooked, though. People rave about massaged kale salads but I made one and the bitterness was overwhelming. It disgusted me. Was it because I used curly kale?

Yes, you'll want to use dinosaur/lacinato kale for salads. Delicious, I promise!

Thanks, I'll try it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like kale because it's cheap and tasty.

I have to eat it cooked, though. People rave about massaged kale salads but I made one and the bitterness was overwhelming. It disgusted me. Was it because I used curly kale?

Young kale is sweet, old kale is bitter. I like the former and HATE the latter.

You've got to boil it for 1-2 minutes, drain, then saute with olive oil and garlic. The boiling takes the bitterness out. (I like mine a bit bitter though so I usually only boil 30 seconds.)

[Anonymous]

I've been growing kale for years. Why?
-It is easy to grow, it will grow ANYWHERE and in crappy soil.
-The different varieties are pretty in the garden, adds lots of color to my flower beds.
-bugs pretty much stay away.
-It packs a lot of punch.
-My kids love it, and they don't love many green foods!

[Anonymous]

Well, my understanding is that nutritionally kale is a powerhouse, much more so than, say, spinach. I like raw kale in a smoothie with frozen banana and mango and some skim milk or almond milk. It makes a green smoothie that kids love but the kale itself has no taste, so you just get the fruit flavor. In cooked dishes I add kale to all sorts of stuff: enchiladas, frittatas, tacos, etc. I also like to steam kale with other greens, then sauté it briefly with olive oil and add a splash of orange juice.

[Anonymous]

I first heard of kale when I was reading the diary of Anne Frank. They had canned kale. My teacher at the time make a point of telling us how awful life in hiding was generally, and how having to eat canned kale was a perfect example of that.

I used to eat in when the CSA sent it. It was OK, but it drives me nuts when people talk about how delicious kale chip are. They're OK too, but they still taste like kale. Lipstick on a pig.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been growing kale for years. Why?
-It is easy to grow, it will grow ANYWHERE and in crappy soil.
-The different varieties are pretty in the garden, adds lots of color to my flower beds.
-bugs pretty much stay away.
-It packs a lot of punch.
-My kids love it, and they don't love many green foods!

This is all good info but I had to chuckle when you said the bugs stay away from it. The bugs stay away from my Diet Coke too so I am not sure how reliable they are. lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, my understanding is that nutritionally kale is a powerhouse, much more so than, say, spinach. I like raw kale in a smoothie with frozen banana and mango and some skim milk or almond milk. It makes a green smoothie that kids love but the kale itself has no taste, so you just get the fruit flavor. In cooked dishes I add kale to all sorts of stuff: enchiladas, frittatas, tacos, etc. I also like to steam kale with other greens, then sauté it briefly with olive oil and add a splash of orange juice.

Not necessarily, just different.

Kale is a food that is great for you when eaten raw. Spinach should be cooked for maximum benefit.

I do kale and spinach smoothies (but only add a half apple, the rest are non-fruits) I don't like the the spinach taste as much as I like the kale, but I love tender cooked spinach over cooked kale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I first heard of kale when I was reading the diary of Anne Frank. They had canned kale. My teacher at the time make a point of telling us how awful life in hiding was generally, and how having to eat canned kale was a perfect example of that.

I used to eat in when the CSA sent it. It was OK, but it drives me nuts when people talk about how delicious kale chip are. They're OK too, but they still taste like kale. Lipstick on a pig.

That's a matter of taste. I hate chocolate. Yes HATE it.

[Anonymous]

Like some other PPs, I never ate kale as a kid. The grocery store used it as garnish in the display case. And I think covering it in chocolate is weird, as is charging $6 a bag for the dried out salty version.

That said, it's now one of my go-to green leafies. I add it to pasta sauce, stir fries, whatever. I often rinse it, tear it into small pieces, nuke it covered in plastic wrap with a tablespoon or so of water for two minutes, and throw it in a tub of seasoned quinoa & tofu for lunch. Also, the rabbits like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like some other PPs, I never ate kale as a kid. The grocery store used it as garnish in the display case. And I think covering it in chocolate is weird, as is charging $6 a bag for the dried out salty version.

That said, it's now one of my go-to green leafies. I add it to pasta sauce, stir fries, whatever. I often rinse it, tear it into small pieces, nuke it covered in plastic wrap with a tablespoon or so of water for two minutes, and throw it in a tub of seasoned quinoa & tofu for lunch. Also, the rabbits like it.

Should also add here, that it's relatively cheap.

[Anonymous]

Posts like this crack me up. Black people have been eating kale for 200 years. I've had those nasty chips and you would want to try my mother's kale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Posts like this crack me up. Black people have been eating kale for 200 years. I've had those nasty chips and you would want to try my mother's kale.

You crack me up. Veggies like Kale, Beets, Turnips, and Parsnips were usual American Fare until the 1970s when they fell out of favor. So even white people were eating those foods for hundreds of years.

Anyways, Black People eat more Collards.