welcome
To a new season. To a new week (in which, hopefully, I will return to a normal posting schedule).
Isn’t this kale lovely? I only planted ornamental kale, a choice I might have been regretting by now, when the plants are just bursting with vigor and color and health — except that I do not like the taste of so-called “edible” kale. It’s probably a question of cooking; collards were the leafy fall vegetable of choice in my childhood bioregion, and so I learned about how to properly prepare these tasty, bitter greens. But kale was practically unheard of.
Maybe I just haven’t found the right recipe yet. Does anyone know of a sure-to-wow-them kale recipe? I might try it with what’s available at the grocery store and have some kale plants that aren’t just for show next year.
Of course, a tiny voice inside is saying that kale from your own garden soil has to be a completely different experience from kale purchased at a national chain store, the poor leaves having been probably grown on a huge farm where the soil has become nothing more than a nutrient-drained sponge awaiting its twice-yearly application of petroleum-derived fertilizer to be able to grow anything at all, and then the harvest having been trucked over a thousand miles before being carried a few more to my kitchen countertop. Almost all of the other food we grew ourselves this summer was a completely different — and better! — experience than what one could get in a grocery store. (I say almost because of the zucchini, which were, to my senses, nearly identical.)
But I’d have to know that I can cook it in a way I’d want to eat it before putting seed in the ground next year. Otherwise, that “edible” kale would basically revert to being ornamental kale — and it might not be as pretty as this one.
Victory Garden Redux 
I make this stew from Cooking Light all the time. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1662874 It calls for mustard greens, but I usually use collards instead. But I’ll bet kale would be as good in it.
That looks great, Lynn! Thanks so much. 🙂
It’s lovely to see the ornamental kale doing what it does best – great photo! I haven’t planted any for a couple of years, but loved seeing them flaunting their colors even when the snow came.
That recipe sounds so tasty! Might be you’ll be planting both varieties next year, Meredith!