Contents ✓

CABBAGE CALE - REVIEWS ABOUT VARIETIES. TIPS FOR GROWING AND CARE

For the first time I saw this multi-colored miracle in the Fashion House of Slava Zaitsev. The show was completed by fashion models in wedding dresses, and each of them had a traditional bridal bouquet in their hands, but from kale!

And these decorative vegetables did not spoil the picture of the celebration at all.

ALL YOU NEED FOR THIS ARTICLE IS HERE >>>

CABBAGE CALE WITHOUT CABBAGE

Kale, as I later found out when buying seeds, has many names: kale, leafy, gryunkol, braunkol, even Russian or Siberian. This is a leafy cabbage, it does not form the usual head of cabbage, only large and dense leaves, in some varieties curly. They can be green, bluish, purple, red, and after the first frosts they acquire a deep purple color: a very original and bright outfit for a garden or even a flower garden. But beauty is beauty, and first of all, give gardeners a benefit.

By the amount of vitamins and minerals, this type of cabbage is much superior to the traditional white lady. But the most amazing thing about feces is its incredible frost resistance. It withstands not only short-term frosts, but even frosts below 10 °. And I had such a picture: December, it’s cold, and in the country, right under the windows, fresh openwork leaves flaunt in the garden, powdered with snow. Moreover, seized by frost, it only becomes more tender, sweeter and tastier.

KALE - THE NON-CAPACIOUS QUEEN

We still have unpopular cabbage. I was looking for seeds for a long time, sowing decorative varieties for practice, which, by the way, are also edible, but not so tender and tasty. They can decorate ready meals. Every season, chic multi-colored bouquets bloomed in the garden: one plant is a whole bouquet. And yet, I finally found several bags of vegetable seeds for sale, and things began to boil! If you have ever sowed and planted seedlings with ordinary white cabbage, then there should be no problems with leafy ones. Agricultural technology is identical: care, disease and pest control - everything is the same.

I always choose a sunny landing site, although feces feel great in partial shade. The best predecessors are pumpkin, legumes and nightshade.

Kale, because of the taproot, does not tolerate transplanting well, so I sow the seeds immediately in open ground in a permanent place.

Although with my first precious bags with 5 seeds each, I did not dare to do so, they were worth their weight in gold. I sowed at home in peat tablets in April, they germinated and grew on the southern windowsill without additional lighting, and in May I planted seedlings in the garden directly in tablets. Generous watering was ensured, and the first crop ripened 2 months after sowing. And then she collected leaves every 2 months until the frost. These were varieties of foreign selection - Miss Rose and Mr. Green. They are still among the favorites and have received a permanent "registration" in the ornamental garden.

Beforehand, it is advisable to soak the seeds in water with the addition of a growth stimulator for several hours (I use a few drops of aloe juice in a glass of water). The seeds are quite large, it is necessary to sow to a depth of 1 cm (I usually pierce the hole with a pencil). I maintain a distance between plants of about 5 cm, because adult specimens look more like exotic bushes than vegetables. If it is sown densely, it can be thinned out, but young seedlings should be transplanted with a large clod of earth. When planting, it is useful to add ash and humus to each hole, no matter how much it is a pity because cabbage loves to eat well. For better seed germination and seedling growth, it would be good to cover the bed with a non-woven fabric or each sprout with a plastic bottle. As soon as the sprouts get stronger, I remove the covering material.

I water the cabbage as the topsoil dries up, given the intensity of the rains. Even better - mulch the beds as soon as the plants reach a height of 15 cm. I immediately remove discolored and wilted leaves. It is advisable to dig in pegs for high varieties and tie up plants, without this, under the pressure of wind and rain, cabbage can fall under the weight of fleshy leaves, sometimes even the stumps break.

For fertilizer and protection against pests and diseases, I never use chemicals: large juicy kale leaves accumulate nitrites and nitrates. Enough herbal infusions, ash and humus.

Reference by topic: Cabbage kale (photo) use and cultivation

THE MOST PLEASANT PROCEDURE

I start harvesting when the plant reaches a height of 20 cm. I cut off the lower leaves first. Then, as they mature, the rest, preventing their overgrowth and coarsening. You can cut off the whole plant - at a distance of 5 cm from the ground, leaving stumps, from which, by the way, new rosettes of leaves often grow. Fresh kale keeps for a week in the refrigerator, but freezing it is even better, because it only improves the taste.

KALE = NEW BEEF

In fact, any kale can replace meat for dieters, since 200 g contains a daily dose of protein and all essential amino acids. For this, nutrition scientists awarded her the title of "new beef". By the way, kale makes delicious schnitzels and cutlets.

Kale is also not deprived of medicinal properties. This is an effective remedy for the prevention of visual acuity loss. Kale is considered the queen of carotenoids. It contains a large amount of vitamins C, K, PP and group B, rich in mineral salts of potassium, sodium and phosphorus.

Kale collard (Kale). From sowing to harvesting and cooking. Green cabbage smoothies

KALE VARIETIES - BEAUTIFUL AND EDIBLE

Many varieties and hybrids of kale have already received a "residence permit" at my dacha. And some are still waiting in line to get a “propiska”.

BOHEMIA. My first luck. An enchantingly beautiful variety with large baskets of multi-colored leaves, from emerald to burgundy. It is considered decorative, but the leaves are edible and tasty, without bitterness, which is usually inherent in decorative varieties.

KALE RED. A well-known variety with bright purple leaves that resemble rolled Brussels lace. Nutritionists advise including it in the diet if you want to lose extra pounds. It is also used for serving and decorating dishes.

KALE GREEN (Kale curly or curly). She has soft tasty leaves with a slight bitterness and aroma with spicy notes.

RUSSIAN (SIBERIAN). An old, time-tested variety, also called Red Russian. It is considered dwarf and at the same time the most frost-resistant (can withstand frosts up to 15 °). Has a slightly sweet taste. Differs in wavy gray-green leaves with lilac veins and lilac petioles. The edges of the leaves are carved, corrugated.

MISS ROSE. Early maturing variety. Cabbage has shown itself to be undemanding in care, easily tolerates severe frosts, grows quickly and forms new leaves after cutting. I take the first harvest 3 months after planting the seedlings. Leaves and petioles are tasty and juicy, without the slightest bitterness. Decorative, can serve as a decoration not only for the garden, but also for the flower garden, as well as landscape compositions.

MR GREEN. New delicious variety with high yield. Volumetric carved leaves form very picturesque fluffy sultans. Both delicate fragrant leaves and crispy juicy petioles are used for food. The first cleaning is 3 months after planting seedlings.

F, REDBOARD. Mid-season hybrid with red-violet carved decorative leaves. The bush grows like a bouquet on a thick and powerful stem. About 75 days after germination, you can harvest. With regular collection of leaves, the bush gives a good increase. The leaves have a mild and delicate flavor. Another advantage is a great color accent both in salads and in the garden.

SCARLETT. The blue-violet leaves are strongly corrugated. Suitable for salads, cabbage rolls, and soups. By the way, in Turkey and in the south of France, amazing cabbage soup is cooked from curly cabbage.

BLACK TUSCANY. According to the declared characteristics, the variety is excellent, but it did not work for me. Apparently, this "Italian" needs more heat, sun and the duration of the season. In beauty it is not inferior to outlandish flowers: on a tall thick stem, sprawling dark purple tuberculate leaves with a bluish bloom, resembling either grapes or shagreen leather.

Now I dream about the seeds of Chinese kale (Chinese kale, Chinese broccoli, kai-lan, gai-lan). In Russia, this vegetable is still a rarity. The entire above-ground part of the plant is edible: juicy blue-green stems, tender leaves, and even unopened inflorescences. The taste of the Chinese miracle is reminiscent of broccoli, kale and even asparagus.