Kale? How to eat. How much. Experiences.

[goodsamaritan]

Im on the way to my organic farmer to buy Kale for the very first time.

Please share your experiences and know how with this vegetable.

[Dorothy]

If you can tolerate salt the best way I've found is to cut it into tiny slices and then rub salt into it (lots of salt) and leave it in your fridge at least 12 hours. The salt will break down the fibers and make it quite enjoyable. You have to wash the salt off really well before you eat it and then season it. The salt that gets in tastes nice. There are all sorts of combinations of spices that are nice on kale. Do you do seasonings and sauces?

[goodsamaritan]

personally, i usually eat my food plain as is with nothing added.

but i need to be creative with my wife and kids.

so i welcome all inputs.

[Alive]

Last time I ate kale I had a bad reaction in my throat telling me it wasn't appreciated, which surprised me as it looks so healthy, so I don't eat it any more.

[Dorothy]

If you can leave your kale in the sun to dry there are all sorts of recipes for kale chips - raw vegans make them that way a lot to be sort of a replacement for potato chips. I think all you would have to do is google "kale chips" to find recipes. I think that regular eaters would appreciate the soaking and the "chip"ing the best when it comes to kale. It's very coarse and fibrous so most folk don't take to just munching on it.

[van]

I use to juice it often believing that it had the right minerals and chlor. that I needed. I still wonder about it as a food as my girl friend eats it quite often.  But when I try to juice it now, I never feel that good afterwards, and I'm just drinking maybe a couple of ounces.  I ten to believe that my body will tell me if it's right for me if it tastes good when I chew it and suck the juice.  I usually don't past a couple of leaves before I would have to force myself to eat more due to taste.  GS,,  maybe that's a place to start with introducing yourself to it.  Let your mouth tell you about it, presumably without seasonings. 

[jessica]

its good in soups, i have grown thousands of pounds of kale and sometimes crave it and other times am totally appalled by it!  it is a nice green for soups, i have also prepared it somewhat like dorothy, using oil, salt and lemon juice and messaging it into the kale and letting it set for a few hours and then eating.  for me it is too strong in juices or smoothies.  many people make it into "kale chips" but to me this seems like just another unhealthy way to consume cooked oils

[Dorothy]

The only way I grow it now is as babies. I grow teeny tiny kales and eat them from my garden. When the leaves are very young they are very different and I like them. When it gets too big and old it takes too much "processing". I preserve the large leaves by dehydrating them and then pulverizing them in a powder to put into raw soups or pick the greens and put them in the high-powered blender with the raw soups if I have some in the garden.

But I doubt you're going to be able to get baby kales at the farm and I'm not sure your family would necessarily like it in soups - except the ones that are already into a raw diet and used to eating real clean. Are you trying to feed it to your kids, your wife or a bigger extended family and friends? I'm gather you want to keep it raw right? Kale is actually a tasty dish steamed with just some lemon - but that's a whole other thing.

Kale chips are one of those things that a lot of raw vegans make to introduce their people that don't like raw to raw foods.... but I've never made them myself even though people seem to rave about them.

Kales taste much better after a freeze btw.

[SkinnyDevil]

I eat a TON of kale....almost every day.

I sometimes use it in salads (kale, carrots, maybe some avocado...touch of raw vinegar &/or raw hemp oil) and sometimes I just grab a few big leaves and munch.

Kale rocks, but its an acquired taste. A bit strong for most, so for your family, probably best to work small amounts (chopped very small) into a salad.

[svrn]

i only juice it. I dont like eating such things whole as these leafy greens dont seem to digest well when I have a lot. A little bit to make my meat taste better seems fine though.

[svrn]

where did you get the raw hemp oil by the way?

[bachcole]

I do a lot of kale.  It is very drying.  It is probably a diuretic.  I juice it with carrots, celery, etc. and blend it into the juice.  If you do it that way, it is best to drink extra water.

[DopeDivinity]

Raw Kale Chips are superwonderful. Dried in the dehydrator. If you try it, you might consider making Chocolate ones! HolyYum

Though the last few times I had Kale in salads I had indigestion. I think even a little bit of raw Spinach freaks out my tummy nowadays!

Someone in here mentioned Kale affecting their throat...that could be a thyroid issue. I read that Brassicas can irritate the thyroid. It would seem that cooking, and fermentation can both solve this.

I have some Kale growing in my garden right now, I think it is Dwarf Russian, its starting to get quite big and beautiful. I am also going to plant some Ornamental Kale... you know, this stuff.



I think I will use all of my Kale in soups and in fermented Krauts... KaleKraut!

"It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms." - Wikipedia on Kale... interesting

[Dorothy]

DD - the edible kales are just as pretty I think as the ornamental ones. I grow them in pots in my front yard even.
Brassicas are not supposed to be good for people with hypothyroid disease - true. They have goitrogens which suppress thyroid function (which could be good for hyperthyroidism), but I'm not sure cooking or fermentation change that fact.
Brassicas are also one of the best cancer fighting foods out there. So it's a mixed bag. 

I would never have thought of mixing kale with chocolate. How do you do that?

[Alive]

That Russian Kale looks amazing - I want that in my garden!
Dried kale chips sound yummy - I'll buy some kale and try it out.
(Raw hemp seed oil can be found at health food stores or search online)

[svrn]

what im asking about is raw hemp oil not "raw"

[Alive]

Good luck 

[bharminder]

Kale is awesome, I think it's full of minerals

It helps keep teeth strong especially if you eat too much fruit or have prior teeth problems!

[Polyvore]

I juice it so i can eat a bunch without too much hassle.

[Barefoot Instincto]

Anytime I eat kale raw its not enjoyable, unless soaked in a vinegar dressing. I tried eating it for awhile straight, but its unpleasant and doesn't seem right. I felt like I probably shouldn't be eating it, so I switched to kale sprouts instead, which are amazing!

[cherimoya_kid]

Anytime I eat kale raw its not enjoyable, unless soaked in a vinegar dressing. I tried eating it for awhile straight, but its unpleasant and doesn't seem right. I felt like I probably shouldn't be eating it, so I switched to kale sprouts instead, which are amazing!

Mature kale is hard to chew and digest for most people.