Edible Paradise

Kales and collards are good year round, but are best after a cold spell. They develop sweetness after the cold.

The leaves should be supple and seem succulent rather than leathery.

For Russian kale, choose bunches that have the largest leaf to stem ratio you can find while avoiding “mature” plants with leathery leaves. Stemming Russian kale can be a lot of work, so make the most of it. Try using your fingers first, and if that doesn’t work, use a sharp paring knife.

Use your fingers to strip leaves from stems for curly kale and lacinato. Make a ring of your thumb and index finger, place the middle joint of the index finger over the top of the stem near the base and grasp the base with the other hand, then pull the “ring” up the length of the stem. This should work, but if not-use a thin sharp knife.

When storing these greens, they last best if wrapped in paper towels, then put into a plastic bag, or, as I like to do, a large plastic box. Russian kale has the shortest shelf life of 3-5 days, collards next with 4-7 days, then lacinato and curly kale with up to 8 or 9 days. What I do is to come home from market and then strip the leaves from the collards, which I then stack and roll, then put into the box in the refrigerator. Then the curly kale gets stripped and put into paper and the also boxed, or bagged with plenty of air in the bag if the box is full. I also do the other kales if I have then as well, storing in boxes. This speeds up making dinner during the week. To use, just submerge in a large bowl of cold water and shake to remove dirt. Lift the leaves out of the water, and repeat. Cut up and cook.

If you have curly kale or collards that look limp and tired, try soaking in cold water for ten minutes and see if this helps revive them. It usually does.

When choosing lacinato kale, I look for leaves that are not too shiny, nor too “crisp” in texture. I find these cook up stringy, and no amount of cooking seems to break this texture down.

Curly kale and Cavolo Nero/lacinato are great leftovers. Use in soups or make into a gratin or frittata.