The name "kale" quickly burst into our lives. Recently, various media have published quite a few interesting facts about this culture. Most often this is due to the incredible benefits of an exotic plant. However, looking at it closely, you can recognize a forgotten and familiar vegetable.
What is kale
Despite the fact that kale cabbage has become very popular in recent years, the tradition of its cultivation in our lands has a long history. This culture is known for a long time, for a long time it was grown in Europe. By the 17th century, lettuce relatives began to supplant lettuce from the vegetable gardens. This was due to their greater productivity, as well as resistance to disease. Modern American nutritionists, cinema stars, as well as gastronomic art gurus have breathed new life into the excitement of feces.
In Russia, kale cabbage has become popular due to its winter hardiness. This vegetable came to Europe from Russia through trade routes, and was exported from Europe to America under the name "Russian cabbage."
Culture Description
Cale, or kale, is a two-year-old vegetable in the cabbage family. It is a plant with a dense stem and lettuce leaves. There are many varieties of this culture. Unlike other species, the feces do not form a head of cabbage. The plant exudes a faint aroma of white cabbage. Seeds gives in the second year.
Kale today is positioned as a superfood. It combines a cocktail of useful substances necessary for the body. However, an excess of certain minerals can trigger chronic diseases. Therefore, succumbing to the general euphoria from the use of a fashionable product, consider the characteristics of your body.
Kale cabbage is one of the favorite foods of nutritionists.
Useful properties of kale
Kale is a storehouse of vitamins. The product belongs to a very low-calorie and easily digestible. It includes:
- vitamin C - 120 mg (for comparison, cabbage - 36 mg);
- calcium - 150 mg (in milk - 130);
- proteins - 4 g;
- carbohydrates - 9 g;
- 9 amino acids.
In addition, feces in large quantities contain sulforan, inhibiting the growth of bacteria; a natural inhibitor of cancer cells is Indole-3-carbinol; glucoraphanin, which reduces the negative effects of carcinogens. Nutritionists highlight the main positive changes in the body of a person who uses feces:
- Strengthening the immune system.
- Improving the general condition due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the product on the body.
- Lower cholesterol.
- Detoxification of the body by removing toxins and toxins.
- Improving vision by strengthening fiber, cataract prevention.
- Teeth strengthening, skin condition improvement.
- Slowing down the aging process.
However, the high content of oxalic acid in feces is dangerous for people suffering from urolithiasis and kidney disease. And one should also be careful with individual intolerance to plant components.
Video: what's good in kale
Ways to cook kale
Kale is a universal product. It is eaten fresh, stewed, dried, frozen, boiled, smoothies and chips are prepared. Like many vegetables rich in nutrients, it is better to consume feces with minimal heat treatment. The best way is a raw salad, and the worst option is to boil this product. When cooking, up to 70% of nutrients are destroyed.
Now let's try these amazingly beautiful salad leaves. Bitterly? Alas, in its pure form, some varieties of feces are impossible to eat, because the content of flavonoids in them is such that it simply reduces the jaw from bitterness. But in combination with simple additives, the whole taste of this amazing storehouse of vitamins is revealed.
When choosing leaves, pay attention to their elasticity and density. Rinse them with plenty of water so that all sand and debris are washed away from the curly and corrugated parts. The stems of the feces are very dense and sinewy, so it is best to remove the green mass by running your fingers along the stem. The stems themselves are subsequently used for smoothies.
The best companions for cale are avocados and lemon juice, which reduce the bitterness of the product. In combination with raw vegetables, such as radishes, radishes, tomatoes, feces will reveal its rich taste.
The best way to consume kale is vegetable salads
Calais chips are very popular. They cook quickly and simply, but also instantly eaten. For the preparation of chips, it is better to choose curly varieties of plants. Such chips look very decorative and appetizing.
To make chips, take kale of corrugated varieties
To do this, separate the greens from the stem, tear the leaf coarsely, soften it slightly with your hands. Watered with a mixture of two tablespoons of vinegar, one tablespoon of olive oil, salt, lemon juice. You can experiment with tastes and add new and unusual seasonings every time. Then they are dried for 10 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 170 degrees.
Video: the most delicious kale salad
Description of varieties and varieties of feces
All varieties of feces are numerous groups that differ from each other not only in appearance, but also in their chemical composition. In many ways, the reason for this is the territorial origin of specific varieties.
You can divide all varieties of feces into several groups:
- curly (curly) green;
- curly (curly) red-violet;
- black (Italian, Tuscan, dinosaur, etc.);
- Scotland key ("hungry gap");
- red russian.
Varieties of kale cabbage externally differ from each other
Curly green cabbage
Kale of this species has curly openwork green leaves. Some varieties winter well and bring a harvest next year. Representatives of this group are good for eating fresh or making light green soups.
One of the most popular hybrids is the Reflex F1 variety. Very often it is recommended for cultivation for medicinal purposes. Gardeners who monitor their nutrition include Reflex F1 in their diet complexes. The norm for replenishing the body with useful substances is a portion of only 100 g of the product. This hybrid also characterizes excellent taste.
Having wintered, feces of the Reflex F1 variety will continue fruiting in the next season
The fruit mass is 300-1400 g, the bushes are medium-tall, about 80 cm high. This plant requires a lot of space for growth, therefore the planting scheme is at least 60-70 cm between the bushes. A variety of medium-late ripening.
On a note. When harvesting feces, always leave the lower leaves to avoid plant death.
Curly red cabbage
This group of kale has corrugated leaves, similar to lace assemblies of deep red, burgundy or purple flowers. It is she who is most rich in anthocyanins, magnesium, calcium, vitamins C, A, E, K. It ripens in an average of 75 days.
Red curly feces Redbor F1 varieties are often grown for decorative purposes.
Redbor F1 - one of the most famous hybrid varieties. Dense curly leaves are planted on a tall stalk 80 cm high. Plant mass is 200-700 g. The late ripening hybrid has a great taste. The variety is used both in cooking and as an ornamental plant.
Scarlet medium late feces mature in 120 days. Amazing in color and shape, the leaves attract with their unusual bright purple hue. The height of the bushes is 80-100 cm. Scarlet is used in dishes with heat treatment - in soups, stews, cabbage rolls.
Calais Scarlet - utility champion
Italian black kale
Varieties of this group are of Mediterranean southern origin. They are characterized by narrow long leaves covered with tubercles. Dense greens are covered with a bluish coating.
Italian kale has dense, even leaves
The most popular of this group is Black Tuscany.. It owes its origin to the southern latitudes. However, its confident frost resistance up to -15 degrees has made the variety a frequent guest in our gardens. The bush is low-sitting, leaves grow to 60 cm in length. A variety of medium early ripening (60 days). Dense bluish leaves are very rich in omega-3 acids.
There may also be a variety of kale called Dino, or Lacinato. Valued for its high lutein content. Long-term use in food increases the resistance of the retina to UV radiation. It is considered a storehouse of vitamin C.
Scottish Cale
The British call kale Scottish or Siberian cabbage. Outwardly, the Scottish cale is characterized by not as openwork and curly green leaves as the other varieties.
Hungry Gap - a variety of winter-hardy and tall (90 cm), very productive, established itself as an early, reliable and unpretentious supplier of greenery in such a period of the year when the beds still cannot please a plentiful harvest of greenery. Suitable for fresh and frozen use.
Hungry Gap is valued for its productivity.
Siberian kale is common in countries with a cold climate. Shows winter hardiness records. In conditions of Siberia and the Urals, it matures in 80 days. Its cultivation through seedlings is recommended. Differs in small growth and compactness.
Siberian feces refers to low winter-hardy plants
Cabbage Red Russian
Openwork green leaves of feces Red Russian are covered with scarlet veins, which in the frost turn purple-blue. One of the most frost-resistant varieties. The average growing season is 60 days. It withstands freezing up to -18 degrees. Unpretentious. It is used as a vegetable crop, as well as in the design of gardens.
Kale Red Russian - one of the most unpretentious varieties
Growing Kale Seedlings
For growing kale seedlings, you should remember several key points:
- Seeds are sown in boxes 6-7 weeks before planting in a permanent place.
- Kale, like other types of cabbage, prefers neutral soil.
- Kale is a cold resistant culture.
- Seedlings love moisture.
Landing time
Like other cultures, feces are early, middle and late ripening. In order to enjoy this cabbage on your personal plot as long as possible, as well as to have a continuous crop, it is worth sowing it in several passes. Before landing in open ground, about 6-7 weeks should pass. Starting in late March, you can start sowing seeds for seedlings for open ground.
Ground preparation, tanks
Soil for stool requires a neutral acid-base reaction in the range of 5.5-6.8 pH. If the original soil is acidic, it is deoxidized with ash. To do this, add a glass of ash to a bucket of earth. Alkaline soil is acidified with sulfur, peat, acid. The easiest way is to add 1.5 kg of peat per 1 square meter of land. Or for these purposes use 70 g of sulfur in the same area.
Capacities for seedlings are chosen low, but quite wide. The transplant is carried out at the age of 5-7 weeks, when the seedlings reach ten centimeter growth, having 4 developed leaves.
Seed planting process
The technology for sowing seed is as follows:
- Seeds are sown shallowly, about 1.5 cm. You can sow the tape method, in rows, backing 10-12 cm from the next row. Sown in separate holes, planting several seeds in one hole.
- After sowing, the soil should be well moistened. The most successful will be the use of a sprayer-sprayer. In this case, the surface is evenly moistened, and the soil does not change its position, as when watering from a watering can. This method will prevent the displacement of layers of earth and seeds.
- After watering, the container is covered with glass or film.
One individual kale cabbage seed is usually placed in each individual container.
Video: sowing cabbage kale in cassettes for seedlings
Seedling care, picking
Seedling care consists in creating comfortable temperature and watering conditions. It should be remembered that excessive temperature in the room will lead to stretching seedlings with insufficiently developed roots. The optimum temperature is +22 degrees. Keep the soil moist.
4-5 days after germination, it is necessary to thin out the shoots, leaving the most developed and strong. If necessary, after 3-4 weeks, you can dive plants.
Unfortunately, all cabbage representatives are difficult to tolerate the pick, so it is important not to thicken the landing at the initial stage.
Planting seedlings in the ground
As soon as the threat of frost passes, feces are planted in open ground. Strong plants with a height of about 10 cm with 4 developed leaves are used. The soil for feces should already be well fertilized. The best predecessors are beans, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers. The process of planting seedlings is as follows:
- For planting seedlings make deep holes about the growth of the plant itself (about 10 cm). The distance between plants is 40-50 cm.
- At the bottom of the pit, ash or humus is poured.
- Plants are stirred strictly vertically, without deepening.
- After planting, the soil is moistened.
Mulching the beds reduces the time spent on weeding
Outdoor stool cultivation
Like other types of cabbage, kale can be grown immediately in open ground. For cultivation, choose sunny places. A slight light partial shade is allowed.
Timing and landing scheme
In late April, as soon as the temperature reaches + 4-5 degrees and the constant freezing stops, you can start sowing feces. It is advisable to prepare the site in the fall, adding mineral fertilizers (100 g per square meter) and humus (3-5 kg per square meter).
Choose the optimal planting scheme based on the size of the adult plant. If there is insufficient land, use the chess method. As a rule, the distance between plants is 40-50 cm. Planting is carried out as follows:
- At the bottom of the hole with a depth of 1.5 cm put a little humus.
- Then sow the seeds, lightly sprinkle them with earth.
- Crops are covered with spanbond or other material.
- After emergence, the shoots thin out, leaving the strongest.
- After that, the covering material is removed, since its function was to maintain sufficient humidity and a constant microclimate until the seeds awaken and their seedlings.
Kale is sown all summer, but no later than 10 weeks before the first frost. Otherwise, it simply will not have time to develop and gain mass.
Seedling Care
Care for feces is the same as for cabbage. It is important to water in time, and keep the soil moist. Every two weeks, feed seedlings with complex fertilizers.
Cabbage loves moist and breathable soil, so it is important to regularly remove weeds and loosen ridges. Mulching will help reduce weed counts.
Pests and diseases
All cruciferous plants are characterized by the same diseases. Therefore, the first tip concerns the placement of beds with kale - do not plant cabbage after cruciferous. Modern hybrids are generally disease resistant. However, as a preventive measure, it is worth regularly taking measures to increase the breathability of the soil and loosening.
From pests such as cruciferous flea, dusting with tobacco dust or ash is effective. However, rain washes away the protective function of these drugs and treatment must be repeated. Infusions of onion husks, solutions of laundry soap, and vinegar are also used.
Since kale is kale and more commonly used in its raw form, try not to abuse the chemicals. If it is impossible to overcome pests by organic means, use:
- Kinmix
- Kemifos,
- Sharpei
- Fury
- Bitoxibacillin,
- Aliot
- Bankoli and others.
Ornamental Garden
Kale is very diverse in shape, color and height. Having picked up several plants of different colors, you can create a unique and exotic flowerbed.
Make a bed of kale decorating your site
Plant in the foreground undersized compact varieties such as Blue Dwarf or Siberian. Place in the background the lush mid-growth Reflex F1 or Scarlet. And make a final chord a series of tall and compact dinosaurs in width. Let their mysterious appearance please your eyes and surprise your neighbors.
The bed with feces will not leave anyone indifferent
Even a rowed feces will attract attention. You can play with textures and invite relatives to the cabbage bed, for example, decorative cabbage.
Kale goes well with its cabbage relatives
Such a flowerbed will decorate the site until the frosts, and with their onset will sparkle with even brighter colors.
Harvesting and storage
You can eat leaves that have reached 20 cm. As it ripens, about 2 months after sowing, the feces are ready for cutting. Not the whole plant is harvested, but the individual leaves, leaving the stem intact.
Kale stored in the refrigerator for 7 days. It is advisable that the leaves be in a glass of water. For long-term storage, feces are frozen. In this form, it can be 2 months. After thawing, many varieties have a more delicate taste and delicate texture of greenery.
Reviews
Kale contains vitamin K, C, beta-carotene, lutein and calcium. Also, feces are considered a powerful antioxidant and oncoprotector. According to scientists, feces are almost the most useful of all vegetables and other herbs. Here it is! And I didn’t talk about it either in sleep or spirit (Taste like kale) tastes a little astringent, but still very tasty, juicy and healthy. From kale cabbage, you can cook soup, make various salads and eat in a simple form, just pour olive oil.
Alyonaupsik//irecommend.ru/content/vy-probovali-etu-poleznost-foto
It’s hard to imagine what could be more useful than kale cabbage ... This cabbage contains a large amount of protein. It contains all the essential amino acids (there are 9) and 18 essential amino acids. Meals from the feces can completely replace the meat on the table, in addition, vegetable proteins are easier and faster to digest than animals and provide much more benefit and energy to the body. Kale cabbage contains the essential omega-3 fatty acid. Our body needs it, but it does not produce it. Source: //rudachnik.ru/otzyvy-o-kapuste-kale
Olga//rudachnik.ru/otzyvy-o-kapuste-kale
At our site, each of us is trying to grow all that is “pure” and useful for our family. To me, frankly, it was a discovery that the whole world has been eating cabbage for a long time - Kale (she is Grunkol, she is Braunkol, she is Bruncol, she is Russian, she is German, she is curly ... and many more names), which is so useful - useful (almost therapeutic - for the stomach, and for the eyes, skin, contains substances for the prevention of cancer, supports immunity), unpretentious and tasty ... In Germany, even a holiday is Grünkol feast. But I have not tried it ... That's why I enthusiastically bought the leaves of kale from the Kale family - curly leaf "Tintoreto".
slanasa//otzovik.com/review_4431134.html
this is Cabbage, and all cabbage is unpretentious and not afraid of cold weather. I grow only for the sake of beauty, goes well with many plants and looks great in flower beds.
Vladimir Kosarev//ok.ru/urozhaynay/topic/66478514214170
Kale is a type of cabbage that has avoided domestication; broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are more common for us. In terms of nutrient content, it has no equal among green leafy vegetables. Kale contains a very significant amount of protein - 3.3 g., All the necessary amino acids, of which 9 are essential for the formation of proteins in the human body: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine. As well as non-essential amino acids. The beneficial properties of kale are also in the content of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, the so-called antioxidants, which save our cells from destruction and prevent the formation of cancer. It is rich in vitamins A, C, K, PP, group B and, along with all green vegetables, contains magnesium. It is a source of lutein, zeaxanthin, chrolophyll, zinc, selenium, iron, calcium, etc. I highly recommend trying this product if you follow your health and figure.
Lisya77 Saint-Petersburg//ru.iherb.com/r/Eclectic-Institute-Raw-Kale-POW-der-3-2-oz-90-g/42153/?p=1
They say that the new is the well-forgotten old. This is also true for feces. Traditional and familiar, for many years it was supplanted by its many brothers. But now her return is happening in triumph. Do not miss in the variety of cabbage cultures of kale - an old-timer on our land and a true treasury of benefits.
