Kale and Collard Greens – Belonging to the same cultivar group Acephala of the Brassica oleracea species these two green are almost genetically identical. The difference in their taste and appearance are simply the result of selective growing throughout the many, many years. If you’ve tried them before and are convinced they’re not your thang, try ‘em again! Kale and Collards actually sweeten up after being exposed to a hard frost and are sweeter when the weather is cool. You may have tried a more bitter summer kale the first time…it may be.

Nutritional Info-So here’s the scoop: Eat these greens. Period. It doesn’t get any healthier and detoxifying for the body. Period. Seriously. Nutritionally, it is vastly superior to most vegetables. It is very rich in vitamins A, C and the mineral Calcium. It is also a great source of the B vitamins and the HIGHEST protein content of all cultivated vegetables. Eat these greens!!! But hey, take it easy with all this new found information about the amazing goodness of Brassica oleracea of the Acephala cultivar group cause there is an extremely high organosulphur phytonutrient content that will indeed trigger the liver to produce enzymes to detoxify cancer-causing chemicals, but when eaten in large quantities (one bunch chopped for one person without previously exposing the body to the kale magic) expect some serious gas to form (SULFER!!). Just speaking from some painful past experiences.

Storage Tips-

Wrap in a damp towel or in a plastic bag and refrigerate in the hydrator drawer. Leaves will wilt if allowed to dry out. They can be revamped by dipping them in a bath of water and allowed time to take up the moisture. Make sure you use a water source you would feel comfortable drinking if you do this.
FREEZE THEM!! And eat ‘em in the winter. It will take 5 minutes to freeze and you’ll be grateful you took the time later. We froze plenty of kale and collards last year and used them up in absolutely no time using them in soups and stir-fries. Just wash, de-stem and blanch leaves for 2 minutes. Rinse in ice cold water to stop the cooking process, drain, and pack into airtight containers, such as a freezer bag. Label. Blanching is the process of throwing food in boiling water for short time duration.
Dry them if you have a dehydrator.

Organic Kale and Collards are actually very difficult to find at the grocer during the winter months unless you go to a big specialty store like Whole Foods, but be prepared to pay the winter price of $4/bunch. You’ll appreciate the frozen, local version!

Featured Recipes-

Caution: if you’re not accustomed to eating raw collards, broc or kale, don’t eat too many at once. Bring these foods slowly into your diet, and listen to your body and its needs.

Kale Chips

If you haven’t figured out an enjoyable way to use you kale, try this! Picky, picky eaters will eat this. I have plenty of antidotal evidence to backup these strong, definitive claims.

1 bunch kale

Mineralized salt of some form or Herbamare (our personal preference for the flavor it provides)

Seasonings : Curry, Roasted Garlic or Red Pepper. As always, experiment.

Cooking oil – so not olive oil, we use grape seed

Pull leaves off thick stem. Rip stems into smaller pieces, say chip size. Drizzle oil on top (I use grapeseed oil and recommend steering clear of using olive oils for cooking/sautéing because carcinogenic compounds are created when this very heat sensitive oil is brought past its smoking point) and proceed with hands to transfer drizzled oil to all surface area of kale. Salt and season to liking. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes stirring periodically. Or bake at 200 for an hour. Or put in dehydrator. As soon as leaves brown in any way on edges turn off over. May need to leave in oven with temp off afterwards to evaporate excess moisture on greens to your desired crispness.

Zucchini-Kale Pancakes

A great way to use your frozen or fresh kale and your frozen zucchini as well. We made this a lot this past winter.

1 bunch kale

3 small onions or 1 large or more to liking

2 large zucchini or 4 small…

2 large cloves garlic

2 eggs

Fresh feta cheese

1. Shred zucchini via grater or food processor. Pile zucchini lengthwise into thin hand towel, wrap towel around completely, and wring the excess water off zucchini. Use your muscles. Then place in a colander and sprinkle thickly with salt and allow additional moisture to drain out while it sits and the onion carmelize. Wring excess moisture out again before adding it to eggs. If you don’t want to do the second moisture removal then you could just add some flour to absorb the moisture.

2. Chop onions and sauté in butter on medium-low heat for ~20 minutes (this lower temperature helps to prevent the butter fat from oxidizing).

3.. Put an inch or two of water in a pan with a dash of salt. Turn heat to hi. Rip leaves off kale and add to water. Cover pan and lower temp to med when water starts to boil. Cook as long or short as you’d like – between 2-30 minutes. I boiled mine for about 7 minutes. Drain water. Chop leaves into smaller sizes.

4. In large bowl mix wrung out, shredded zucchini, shredded kale, eggs – added one at a time so not to become too eggy and sautéed onions. For easier manageability, one could add a flour of choice to adhere the pancake “batter” better, but for a variety of health reasons, we opt out of this choice.

5. Fry in oil, butter or ghee for a few minutes on each side on medium heat. Remove from pan. Serve topped with feta cheese and raw garlic. Super delicious.

6. Experiment for spices and herbs. Allspice, cinnamon, curry powder, thyme are some different ways to spice up the cakes. Also, more veggies, like tomatoes, red peppers or mushrooms all meld nicely.

Massaged Kale Salad

You haven’t received the profile yet, but kale, collards and chard are the power house foods of the kitchen when it comes to nutrition. Baking kale chips is fun for a new veggie introduction and as a great source of calcium in a highly bioavailable form, but we destroy so many enzymes and vitamins along the way. Massaging the kale breaks down the many, many fibers that are characteristic of kale and allows us to eat it raw without looking like a horse chomping away at an evening snack.

1 bunch kale

Other salad fixings of choice

Choice of dressing – maybe olive oil and tamari infused with ginger or garlic. Let it marinate in the fridge for an hour or two if it’s still too fibrous.

Pull leaves off stem. With leaves stacked on top each other in big pile, cut across to many pieces. Put in bowl, add oil and massage the kale. Give it your positive energy along the way. If you don’t believe that matters, watch the DVD “What the Bleep Do You Know” and see if you feel a little differently.

Dutch Potatoes with Kale

Make potatoes as usual. Boil in water with natural salt. Drain water into jar. Water a plant with the nutrients left in the water. They love it. Sautee onions and garlic at low temp. Add kale (removed from stems and tore into pieces) at last minute and let slightly wilt. Add combo to mashed or unmashed buttered potatoes. Season at will.