Have you already seen a curly vegetable in bunches with the interesting name “kale” on store shelves? If you haven’t yet, then you will meet him soon. It won’t be long before it fills market and store shelves, because it is truly moving across the world by leaps and bounds. In order to be prepared for the moment of the first meeting, let's get acquainted with such a unique plant in advance and find out what kind of vegetable it is, what it is eaten with and what benefits does it bring to the human body?
Beneficial features
In Europe and America, the popularity of kale among healthy lifestyle supporters is so great that scientists are developing kale with new flavors, for example, citrus or lavender. And they even cross kale with broccoli and Brussels sprouts: few people like them themselves, but once they “get along” with kale, sales will increase.
In Tuscany, it was used to make the poor people's soup ribolita. In China they pickled it in the manner of garlic. And during the Second World War in England, they saw keila as a salvation from hunger and planted all their lawns with it.
Kale recipes
Kale does not lose its cheerful green color due to temperature and is happily chewed raw. Therefore, recipes with kale cabbage are multifaceted: it can be added to salads, added to pasta, ground into smoothies and detox cocktails. Even if you put it in cabbage soup, kale will be quite organic in green cabbage soup.
The kale should be kept in an oven preheated to 170°C for 15 minutes so that the fresh leaves produce healthy crispy chips that retain all the healthy power of the plant.
Pasta with kale and bacon
4 servings
What do you need:
What to do:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. Peel and finely chop the garlic and chili. Grind the bacon (lard). Heat olive oil in a large wide non-stick frying pan, add bacon and fry until golden brown.
3. Add garlic, chili and pine nuts. Fry for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic softens and the nuts brown.
4. Remove the hard stems from the kale and chop it coarsely. Reduce heat to low, place kale in a frying pan with vegetables, add 1-2 tbsp. l. water. Cook, stirring until the kale wilts, 4 minutes.
5. Place the pasta in a colander, drain the water and place the pasta in the pan with the kale. Add cream cheese and lemon juice. Stir, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Caesar salad with kale and broccoli
What do you need:
What to do:
1. Grind the anchovies together with garlic in a mortar, add mustard, yogurt, finely grated lemon zest and juice, pepper and salt.
2. Cook the peas in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then drain in a colander and dry.
3. Place kale and peas in a large bowl and add 3/4 of the dressing. Toss thoroughly so that each leaf is coated with dressing.
4. Beat the chicken breasts and cut into “noodles”, like beef stroganoff. Season with salt, pepper and fry in olive oil until cooked.
5. Separate the broccoli into florets and cook in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes. Then cut the florets lengthwise into smaller segments and fry in olive oil until golden brown.
Contraindications
Along with its beneficial properties, eating kale salad has a number of restrictions and contraindications. You can't eat greens:
- in case of metabolic processes in the body;
- with slow metabolism;
- people with diseases related to the endocrine system;
- patients with gastrointestinal pathologies (colitis, gastritis, ulcers);
- in the presence of urolithiasis.
Kale cabbage is not recommended for children under five years of age and people with individual intolerance.
Kale cabbage - its unique composition and properties. Benefits of kale for the body
Today, kale cabbage is found on store shelves quite often. It can also be found under the names: kale, Tuscan, curly, brauncolle and others. This popularity of this product is more likely due to its benefits rather than its taste, because kale has a rather tough texture and a neutral, herbaceous taste.
As for beneficial properties, kale is a real champion. Tuscan cabbage contains:
Vitamins per 100 g:
Macroelements per 100 g:
Microelements per 100 g:
It is also worth noting that with increased nutritional value, a huge content of vital biologically active substances, minerals and vitamins, kale is a low-calorie product. 100 g of curly cabbage contains:
The calorie content of this product is only 48 kcal.
Essential amino acids per 100 g:
Essential amino acids per 100 g:
Of the fatty acids, omega-3 is present - 0.125 g, as well as omega-6 - 0.097 g.
Saturated fatty acids per 100 g:
Of the monounsaturated fatty acids, kale contains only omega-9 - 0.034 g.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids per 100 g:
The composition also contains digestible carbohydrates in the form of mono- and disaccharides - 1.34 g.
Such a qualitative and quantitative composition of important macro- and microelements makes kale a real superfood and contributes to:
Also kale:
Variety of varieties
Varieties of Kale cabbage are very diverse: they differ from each other in appearance, ripening period and yield. All of them are divided by leaf height:
- short - less than 40 cm;
- medium height - from 40 to 60 cm;
- tall - more than 60 cm.
The maximum height of the plant is usually about 150 cm.
The most common varieties include:
- Curly is one of the sweetest and most delicate varieties. The aroma has spicy notes and a slight “pepperiness”.
- Grünkoln is also a very tender variety. An adult plant produces a lot of leaves, which are distinguished by a blue tint and curliness.
- Red Russian - has a spicy taste and bright florid vegetation.
- Cadet - medium-tall with corrugated leaves, intense green color. Especially dietary - 33 kcal/100 grams. Well suited for storage.
- Cane cabbage is a very tall cabbage (up to 1.9 m) with a thick, hard stem that looks like a cane.
- Red F1 is one of the most cold-resistant varieties (even during frosts). The edges of the green-purple leaves curl heavily. They change color to dark purple with the onset of cold weather.
- Tuscan - has long leaves on short stems, which stand out for their coarse-bubble texture and dark green, almost black, color.
- Blue dwarf is a beautiful ornamental variety. A very compact, unpretentious and early ripening plant.
- Premier is an extremely early ripening cabbage. Frost-resistant. The greens are quite tough.
- Reflex F1 – vegetation up to 80 cm in height. This is a mid-season hybrid of rich green color with corrugated leaves.
- Siberian - tolerates low temperatures and frost very well. Also resistant to diseases and pests.
- Redbor F1 - has leaves up to 150 cm long, purple or dark red. Often used to add a bright accent to dishes. Relatively late harvest.
- Tintoreto is the lightest variety with highly climbing vegetation. Its delicate light green color is ideal for decorative “dilution” of flower arrangements.
- Scarlet is a mid-early variety. Its leaves have a very interesting transition from green to purple, which turns purple-blue after the first frost.
In total, there are more than fifty types of variations on the Keil theme. In Russia, Tuscan and curly cabbage are especially popular.
How to cook kale? Top 3 recipes with kale
Kale cabbage can be consumed either fresh or cooked. What's more, kale freezes well and tastes sweeter and more flavorful when exposed to cold.
Kale can be added to smoothies, salads, blanched, baked, stewed, boiled, prepared soups, side dishes, baking fillings, and juices based on it.
Interesting fact.
In the Netherlands, cabbage is mixed with mashed potatoes to make the traditional dish Stumppot, which is sometimes served with sausages. In Japan, kale is popular as a dietary supplement, usually in the form of a drink called aojiru. In Turkey, on the Black Sea coast, they make soup from curly cabbage.
In this article we have shared the most delicious and healthy, in our opinion, recipes with kale cabbage.
Kale chips
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Rinse kale leaves under running water and dry with a paper towel. Separate the leaves from the stem (the stem is too tough, you can save it for making juice or green smoothies) and tear them into small pieces.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. All leaves should be lightly but evenly coated with olive oil (otherwise they will burn), that is, they should shine a little, but not drown in it.
4. Preheat the oven to 170C. Cover the baking tray with baking paper. Place the leaves on a baking sheet, distribute them evenly so that they do not lie on top of each other. Bake for 10 minutes.
Smoothie with kale
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Wash and dry kale leaves. Separate them from the stem and tear them into small pieces.
2. Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core.
3. Cut 1/6 of the lemon.
4. Place kale, banana and apple in a blender bowl, pour almond milk, squeeze lemon juice and mix all ingredients until smooth.
Salad with kale and avocado
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Prepare all ingredients. Wash the kale leaves and dry them with a kitchen towel. Remove the leaves from the stem, then tear them into pieces.
2. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the blender bowl. Using a blender, beat lemon juice, vegetable oil and spices.
3. Drizzle the kale leaves with the dressing. Next, intensively squeeze the lettuce leaves to make them softer. The leaves should decrease in volume.
4. Peel the avocado and cut into cubes. Add to bowl.
5. Cut the tomatoes into medium-sized slices and place in a bowl. Mix the salad.
Source
Care rules for a good harvest
To get a bountiful healthy harvest, we must not forget to follow some important rules:
- the soil should always be kept moist - watering is necessary every day (preferably in the evening);
- during the ripening period of the plant, it is necessary to fertilize it once every 1.5 months;
- You can feed cabbage only after watering;
- broken, limp, deformed leaves and weeds should be removed immediately;
- the soil around the trunk regularly, especially after rain, needs to be loosened;
- If white plaque and rot appear, it is worth applying mulching.
Mulching is applied only after the soil has warmed up well: not earlier than June.
To prevent and treat Cale’s diseases, it is better to try to use natural methods. They are quite effective and do not harm the plant itself, and this is very important for preserving all the beneficial properties.
Conchiglioni with kale and walnuts
For the recipe you will need:
Recipe:
Immediately place a pan of water on the stove, bring to a boil, add salt and add pasta. Large conciglioni shells are ideal for this dish, but the dish will also be delicious with other pasta. Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes or as directed on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the kale. Be sure to rinse the bunch of cabbage under running water so that no sand or other debris remains, dry it on a paper towel and separate it into individual leaves.
Now grab the tip of the stem with one hand and pull the greenery from the base of the leaf to the crown with the other. After such a simple operation, you will be left with clean greens without a hard vein in your hand. Do the same with the remaining cabbage leaves. If it’s difficult, just cut the greens from the stem with a knife and then tear them into small pieces with your hands.
Prepare garlic oil in a deep frying pan. To do this, pour 2-3 tbsp into a heated frying pan. vegetable oil and add chopped garlic. Stir it with a spatula, and as soon as it starts to darken, remove the garlic flakes from the oil.
Add kale to the garlic butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the greens wilt and become soft. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pan with cabbage from the heat and cover with a lid.
In another pan, lightly toast the walnuts. Place the roasted nuts on a plate, let them cool, then chop them into crumbs.
Add cooked pasta to the pan with cabbage and mix well.
Sprinkle the kale pasta generously with ground walnuts. All! Pasta with aromatic garlic oil, juicy kale and ground walnuts is ready. Bon appetit!
By the way: - other names for kale cabbage: kale, Tuscan cabbage, curly and red Russian; — cabbage has a bitter taste, which is neutralized by salad dressings with lemon; — if you freeze cabbage leaves, the bitterness will completely disappear, and instead a slightly sweet taste will appear.
Conchiglioni with kale and walnuts
Source
Features of cultivation
The species does not tolerate transplantation well: this is why experts recommend propagating the crop by seed. Experienced gardeners still resort to growing curly varieties using seedlings. But, in any case, it is important to follow the rules of planting and care for each method.
Seedling method
Using the seedling method is considered to be a win-win option among summer residents.
Note! When transplanting seedlings into open ground, the root system may be damaged and this will lead to the inevitable death of the planting material.
The sequence of actions is as follows:
- The timing of sowing seeds directly depends on the region of future growth. On average, it is 45-55 days before planting in open ground.
- Planting containers are filled with nutrient substrate. You can use peat tablets or cups.
- Place at least two seeds in each container. Sowing is carried out superficially. It is recommended not to deepen the seeds more than 1 cm. The room temperature should not fall below +22 °C.
- To create a “greenhouse effect”, the plantings must be covered with any transparent material, which is removed only with the appearance of the first shoots.
Further development should occur at low temperatures, the optimal value is +16 °C. For healthy growth, it is necessary to maintain 10-12 hours of daylight.
Advice! The use of phytolamps during seedling germination will invariably lead to a positive result.
After 1.5-2 months, the seedlings will be ready for planting in open ground. By this time, the leaves should already show signs of curling.
Seedless method
Fertile soil is suitable for Cale. Land preparation should begin in the fall. Any organic matter and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil in large quantities. After feeding, the area is dug up. The optimal acidity level should be 5.6-6.7 pH.
Both illuminated and shaded areas are suitable for the culture. It is necessary to wait until the soil warms up and start sowing seeds around April.
It is advisable to maintain a distance of at least 50 cm between plantings. Several seeds are placed simultaneously in the planting holes. Plantings are watered and covered with polyethylene or glass. After 7 days, the cover is removed to improve lighting.
Attention! After the first shoots appear, it is necessary to carry out a thinning procedure. Only one of the strongest seedlings is left in each hole.
