Imagine a perennial plant that produces nutrient-dense food year-round, likes regular water but will also survive on occasional water if well-mulched, is attractive and sculptural, grows in sun or part shade, is easy to propagate, and requires little care.
In the right light, it looks like something out of Dr. Seuss.
I've been growing this plant for four or five years, and I've never seen it sold in nurseries.
Variously known as perennial kale, walking kale, and tree collards, it's “an heirloom variety or cluster of varieties” of Brassica oleracea acephala, according to Eric Toensmeier in his book Perennial Vegetables.
Compared to annual collards, perennial kale is sweeter and less cabbagy, but with a less silky cooked texture. Compared to annual flat russian kales and dinosaur kales, perennial kale has a less delicate texture but a milder taste. In cooler weather it develops an even sweeter taste, and its substantial texture makes perennial kale perfect for stir-frying or for mixing with other cooked vegetables.
I started with two plants, one from an 18-inch cutting I got on an organic garden tour, the other from a 3-inch seedling I got at the Los Altos Plant Exchange. Within a couple years, each plant was over 6 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. To keep the plant within bounds, I give away cuttings to everyone who admires my kale trees, bring cuttings to plant exchanges, and harvest a grocery bagful of leaves every couple weeks. If you have enough space you can let them flop over and sprawl, or keep them trained on a trellis.
Last fall, I planted 6 cuttings along another fence, and already the new plants are over 4 feet high and producing leaves up to a foot long and 6 inches wide.
The wavy-edged, purple-tinged green leaves are best eaten cooked. I wash them, remove the midrib by running my fingers from the stem end toward the tip, and then slice thinly to create “kale spaghetti,” which takes only a minute to cook.
I'm going to make soup, I add the kale to a pot of boiling water and wait until it's limp, about 30 seconds, then remove it. The water makes a great soup base, and the thinly sliced kale holds its shape so well that it can be used with sliced or diced red peppers to make a colorful salad, mixed with potatoes to make colcannon, or added to pasta and sauce.
Another way to cook kale is by stir-frying with your choice of a fat, a sweetener, an acid, and an optional salt. I like to use peanut butter, agave syrup, balsamic vinegar, and a little water. With constant stirring, it takes less than a minute for a potful of thinly sliced kale to go limp, and then it's ready to eat alone or add to other dishes.
For more information on the spring and fall plant exchanges, usually held on a Saturday morning following the Tuesday afternoon plant sale in late April/early May and late September/early October, watch the website of the Garden Club of Los Altos.
© 2009 Tanya Kucak