Got in some kale the other night. They're the last plants left in the garden (well, besides the unused swiss chard that's going to get tilled in). Like many in the brassica genus, kale keeps growing after the frosts hit --- actually, many people comment that it tastes better after the first frost. I don't know why that is, but it's probably due to not drawing up a certain nutrient(s) from the ground in cold weather.Kale is a great plant to grow in the garden. Dark, leafy greens are good for the brain, and high on the desirable list in the new food pyramid released by the USDA a couple of years back. My grandparents in WNY used to have this in their garden every year, and it can probably be attributed to my their mental acuity even as their bodies were failing from old age. Kale and garlic were staples there. I have usually used it in making soups and stews --- one recipe is basically chicken broth, diced potatoes, a significant amount of kale and kielbasa. That recipe card gets a decent amount of action in the winter months. I've also been using it in pea soups. Takes a while to cook down, and it seems like it tastes best when it cooks slowly versus just cooking some on the stove-top.
Anyway, I put in four kale plants this year and they did very well. Harvesting, as I have always done it, consists of doing a preliminary wash with the garden hose while still on the plant, snapping the leaves and bringing them inside. Then, tearing the greens off of the stems, washing, doing a couple of turns in the salad spinner and packing them tightly in Ziploc quart-size freezer bags (and squeezing out excess air). I put them in the freezer and take them out as I need them over the winter.
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