Can't Keep Up With The Kale

[@Galluchh]

I'm so happy this channel is still running. What a wonderful resource of knowledge and trials for others to learn from and apply to their own gardens! ❤️

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! Sort I haven't been posting a lot lately.

[@theobirkholz]

Funny garden story - this past spring we had what we thought were some very robust cucumber plants growing in our garden. Makes sense because we planted cucumbers. As the season progressed, they started getting really big, with huge yellow flowers. Around July the flowers started turning into pumpkins! I then recalled throwing our old pumpkins into the compost pile in the fall. Now my garden is a mess and i have about 30 pumpkins i don't know what to do with.

[@sheelaghomalley5459]

My chickens are loving all the kale and cabbage leaves.

[@heron6462]

That's how I dispose of extra or past-their-prime kale leaves. The chickens love it.

[@combinesawmill]

Fermented kale is a great tasting treat and a good way to store an overabundance of greens. Add some hot peppers for a nice spicy addition to any dish.

[@REDGardens]

I’ll have to try that.

[@dougvogt8058]

Seriously?? I ferment a lot, and have experimented with fermenting many things. I tried kale a BUNCH of times, and desperately wanted it to work, but every time, it smelled and tasted like poop. Would you mind sharing your process?

[@ericv00]

@@dougvogt8058 Maybe you aren't using enough salt? I haven't tried fermenting kale, but I would assume you would treat it much the same as sauerkraut or kimchi, and the salt balance is kind of important for those. In any case, I too am interested in any specifics.

[@ralfish2008]

Yup, kimchi style. I prefer fresh kale once its gone through a couple frosts. In my area thats just now finally happening. Drying is another option ie kale chips. Its such a reliable low effort crop that shines in late fall through winter in mild winter areas (N Van BC Canada) and is a winter crop main stay in my garden

[@redtonicSA]

@@dougvogt8058 it's been a season since you posted this, but you might like it done sort of sichuan-style. it'll still have some stink early on in the process, but the salt + chilies + garlic might make it for you.

[@stubbi]

We freeze a lot of the kale we have at our grandparents. Chopped up into thin strips it goes directly into the deep freezer at -30°C to freeze it within minutes. Then we just use it for everything, mostly "Kale with Sausages and Potatoes" - famous North German recipe.

[@angelad.8944]

Borecole!! 😁 I agree, it tastes really good cooked and mashed up with potatoes.

[@REDGardens]

I do like kale in potatoes. Here in Ireland they call it colcannon.

[@joshmann7587]

Stir frys and curries are a great way to use up a lot of kale. I think your missing out on some of the best tasting varieties, the blue/purple smooth leaf ones are really nice (Dazzling Blue would be an example) and the curly leaf dark purple ones.

[@rubygray7749]

A dairy cow or a few goats would relish all those mature leaves, turn them into valuable milk, and speed-compost the residue for you! My ducks got into my garden over winter, and feasted on the kale leaves. But they lay many huge eggs, much better than hens who take the winter off. Gardens were never meant to be isolated from livestock.

[@blankenmom]

I was having a terrible rolly polly issue in my tunnels - tried every natural remedy I could find. My ducks snuck in and within that day, 90% of them were gone. They now sleep in our tunnels. I just protect newly seeded plants, otherwise no damage that I could see, but definitely a huge improvement!

[@REDGardens]

If I was growing on my own land, I would definitely consider adding animals again. Unfortunately in my context it is not really possible, so I feed the leaves to the worms in the compost.

[@Hansulf]

Don't feed that to goats or you will be able to smell the sulfur compounds of kale plants in the milk lol

[@rubygray7749]

@@Hansulf Baby goats think that's a flavoured milkshake

[@kirstypollock6811]

My original kale this year suffered from slugs, then whitefly (which finished them off). Replacement plantings later got hit by caterpillars (like all of my brassicas) - only the Cavallo Nero survived, no other types. The slugs are still hanging about, it's the tiny ones that are hitting mainly the Chinese Leaf which I've just left now as sacrifice to protect the other brassicas.

[@REDGardens]

That is a tough combination of pests!

[@az55544]

Remove the ribs, dehydrate the leaves., blend in a blender, sieve the fiberous bits out. I process collards, kale, etc in this way. Store in a glass jar with a gasket flip top lid. Great green powder to add to soups (ugly soups!) and fruit smoothies. And kale does get sweeter when night temps drop. I do prefer collards, though.

[@ripaklaus764]

drying is a great option and so is freezing but they may not be viable options for the red gardens project. maybe in a few years when he has 1m subs money :)

[@REDGardens]

I should try dehydrating some! Thanks.

[@no-km3vw]

@@ripaklaus764 a decent fan dehydrator is only $40USD. it's low electric use and the amount of dehydrating one can do with all the produce and fruit otherwise gone to waste will quickly pay itself off in a season. one of my favorite things to dehydrate is all forms of radish. and heads of cabbage. both make great additions to winter soup and store for years.

[@hp-cs7mx]

Where I am in Australia, kale grows best through the winter. I harvest it wholly in spring, before any whitefly moves in. I dry it in the oven or air fryer, mostly using heat left in the oven after turning it odd after baking ( which I do once a week) . My jar of dried kale lives in the fridge and I incorporate it into bolognaise sauces, sprinkle on pizza, put in casserole etc. tough bits go into the compost. I only need two plants per year.

[@REDGardens]

I should try drying kale!

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

Kale chips (slow dried in the oven with oil and salt) is certainly best way to eat it.

[@ambreewilliams6585]

Absolutely agree 👍🏾👍🏾 Smoothies too...

[@zmblion]

I'm going to have to try. I like it but I can't get my kids to eat it so its discouraging to me to grow it

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

It would be useful at the end of the season, to get your assessement of how the various gardens have performed this year. Thanks

[@REDGardens]

I plan to do that. Short answer is the three main gardens that are easiest to compare with identical crops all produced equally well for most crops, with very little difference despite very different approaches (but I finally took fertility seriously for all of them). The Polyculture garden struggled due to lack of attention. The Simple garden could have been better with more fertility.

[@bonniepoole1095]

Kale has fewer oxalates than spinach or swiss chard. It's my favorite leafy green. I make Greek spanikopita from kale and it's delicious! I also make kale saag and fruited massaged kale salads. Yum! Chop and blanch the kale and then form it into balls (tennis ball size.) Freeze the balls on a sheet pan and when they're frozen, put them into a zip-lock freezer bag. Add to soups and stews all winter for an extra nutrition boost.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150-b9t]

Came here to say this. All brassicas have fewer oxalates than amaranthaceae crops. I'm growing perennial kale myself.

[@phillippinter7518]

Not only fewer, next to nothing, like over 100X less

[@REDGardens]

I have tried the frozen balls of spinach, but hadn't thought of trying it with kale. Thanks.

[@heidiwheeler9917]

Loved this video! All of your videos, actually. I just love your experiments and data collection; you're so good at evaluating results and weighing pros and cons objectively and with an open mind that doesn't sway to one or the other side. Thank you for sharing all of your experiences! Now for my kale suggestion - wash and dry, de-stem, throw them on a cookie sheet to freeze (not in a single layer is fine), and put them in ziploc bags after frozen. They will crunch down into a finer powder when frozen, and take up very little space. They make a fantastic nutrient dense addition to smoothies, soups, etc.!

[@REDGardens]

Thank you! Really glad people like you appreciate my approach to these videos. Thanks for the suggestion. I have done that with spinach, but will have to try kale.

[@nadajaklic3069]

You've gotten several suggestions for using up the over abundance of kale but I'd like to add add one more. When I have too much collards or kale, I remove the ribs and freeze the leaves. Because of the thawed texture, i only use it in soups, but i also freeze the ribs separately and use them in casseroles. An interesting thing is that if the roots are left behind, the plant can come back the next year. I have a 2nd year kale right now and I've had a 3 year collards in the past. I hope this is helpful to you and I wish you success in any cooking experiments!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for the suggestion, I have done that with spinach, but will have to try it with kale.

[@nadajaklic3069]

@@REDGardens i wish you happy success.

[@cervasaman1]

I love kale! Red Russian is my favorite and what I grow the most of.

[@sciencetoymaker]

Yes, though perhaps not quite as cold hardy as some varieties, it's far more tender and delicious. I've been planting it in the late summer and growing in a tunnel over winter. In March as the days grow longer production explodes long before any other green is available--so good! I've been growing and seed saving for over a decade. Also, although it seems like everybody harvests the oldest (tough) leaves to eat, when the plants reach a certain size I harvest the younger leaves and leave the big older ones to photosynthesize. Why eat cardboard?

[@REDGardens]

I like that variety as well, and use it when planting closely spaced quick rotation crops for more salad type of leaves.

[@oleungeheur7709]

I experienced the same in my garden this year. Greatly because of you, I started to triple up in liquid fertilizer and BOOOM, everything exploded in growth. I have now so much 2 m high kale and are eating it every second day... everybody is so in love with the nutrients of these greens, they seem to have something that is missing in supermarket-vegetables. But I started to get bored of the kale now.... a nice new thing I learned from the Toscana in Italy is: (White) beans and kale soup, then use polenta to make a potato-smash like dish. Its an very easy lunch and next day: fry it with oil in a pan. maybe cheese on top. its good!

[@REDGardens]

Cool, glad you had such success!

[@nonyadamnbusiness9887]

Vates Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale is an excellent green here in north Florida. Pests and heat and summer rain usually destroys mine in June or July. It can start earlier and remains edible longer than any other leaf green. It markets well, and grows much faster than dinosaur kale. There are tiny orange crowned warblers that spend winter in my garden. It's not until after they migrate that I begin to have issues with flea beetles.

[@dougvogt8058]

I add 1/4 (by weight) steamed kale to my basil pesto with no detectable change in flavor. This extends the basil, and sneaks some kale in an unexpected place.

[@InspectorGadget923]

Bake excess kale into kale chips with a small amount of salt. They shrink quite a bit and are a great snack.

[@timobreumelhof88]

Great video :-) We have a lot of Kale too but sow it later. BTW we don't eat the bottom leaves. We leave them on and eat the lighter green leaves as they are more tender and seem to taste better..

[@timobreumelhof88]

BTW I have also cut off the top of some of our Kale plants which stimulates the growth of some nice tender young leaves on the side of the stems..

[@REDGardens]

That makes sense, harvesting the nicer leaves and leaving the older leaves to keep the plant growing. I should try that.

[@ximono]

Excellent video as always! It has been a good kale year here in south-east Norway too, even got a decent harvest where I didn't use any mesh or Bt. That hasn't been true of earlier years, so I think the pest pressure has been lower this year.

[@REDGardens]

That is interesting you had less pest pressure. I also thought the same here, but not sure if it was the weather, or some other cycle, or just me getting better at protecting the crops.

[@homestead.design]

Consider frog ponds for slug control, Slug damage goes to 5-10% for me once the frogs and toads show up.

[@jamesrobinson8907]

i love your videos. they r just what i need

[@REDGardens]

wow, cool! thanks for the comment!

[@MrOshirinoana]

I like to juice my extra greens. I have an auger or masticating type juicer. I'll add a beet, apple, or carrot, even celery and maybe a piece of ginger and use the pulp in the compost.

[@REDGardens]

Nice. I should get a juicer.

[@alcast4774]

Look for Tuscan soup recipes. A great way to use it up.

[@REDGardens]

Sounds delicious

[@mjbarczyk]

I love your videos. Keep them comming! :)

[@REDGardens]

😁 I hope to upload more frequently in the next few months.

[@Knit333]

How we eat kale in Holland: after harvesting and cleaning the leaves you freeze them in a big plastic bag. Then you crush them up. Remove big stems. You boil sliced potatoes with on top loads of crushed kale. One pan dish! Bit of salt. Mash it all when cooked (add some milk or coconut cream/santen). Eat with sausages or meatballs. Some extra butter on top is also delicious.

[@REDGardens]

Sounds great! We have a similar dish called colcannon in Ireland, but without the sausage. and I haven't tried it with frozen, crushed kale. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Knit333]

Saves a lot of space in the freezer once crushed.@@REDGardens

[@traciedowning8566]

Massage (squeeze the heck out of it for a while) the kale with the dressing on it, then let it sit for an hour or more. It breaks down the cell walls and it becomes softer and more flavorful. It's especially good with an Asian dressing.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to try that.

[@MotosAllotmentGarden]

👍😊

[@HelenRullesteg]

Funny how different needs and or perceptions are. We cannot grow enough kale for the two of us, I don‘t have that much space, but use it in salads - red russian and cavolo nero - the tougher kale leaves in soups and stews and we make a lot of kale chips.

[@REDGardens]

It does help to have a lot more space, and one benefit that I didn't mention with a crop like kale is that it can be so easy to manage, and just continues to grow, ready to harvest whenever I want. Not many plants like that.

[@Pixieworksstudio]

Thank you so much. I really love your garden videos and your whole project there. I always feel encouraged by everything you do. Kale is amazingly dependable, and I feel it's aesthetically pleasing too, especially in the middle of winter. We get something yummy to eat, the compost bin wins, and my hens do too. As a point about the summer, I found that pest insects were down this year, making life easier, and we didn't get cabbage white until the first week of August. Do you think a cold spring actually helped us all out a bit?

[@REDGardens]

Thank you! It is such a dependable crop, once I figured out how to keep pests off of it.

[@Loxen86]

What the Kale!? Glad it was a good harvest this year

[@David-xh9cw]

Dawrf green Curly, it's brilliant :)

[@gregbluefinstudios4658]

Do you dehydrate? I love taking Kale and making Kale Chips! AND my neighbors love it as well!

[@lisahodges8299]

I think that pre cooked kale can make a good green pasta. Birdy

[@jimmytyson6726]

Wake up babe new Bruce vid dropped

[@REDGardens]

😂

[@MichaelGawesebmainone]

How to you manage aphids. Brassica seems if not under nets to attract too many aphids

[@REDGardens]

I didn't have cabbage aphids until later in the season this year, and normally they are not much of an issue. Not sure what to do about them.

[@kubaistube]

Cabbage aphid is total killer of kale in my location. There is more white fly than green leaves. The same goes for cabbage. Only way to grow cabbage for me is to sow in february and only very early varieties, that are harvested before aphids arrive (July).

[@REDGardens]

Woah, that is rough! Where are you located?

[@kubaistube]

@@REDGardens Highlands in Czech Republic. Interesting is that aphids are not interested in kohlrabi, probably not so pungent :)

[@angelad.8944]

Might be time to raise some chickens. They would eat up all those leaves. ☺ I struggle to use up all the kale and even the cool weather greens. They can be so abundant. As long as you can compost what you don't end up using, I don't think it is wasted. I share, I roast, make chips, mash into potatoes, in soups, and so on but there is still more to come. No sense in freezing any if you can harvest all winter long. The question is do you miss it when it is not growing? If so, then you can freeze some for the off season.

[@REDGardens]

I should get chickens again. But I also agree that putting the leaves in the compost is not a 'waste'.

[@babybalrog]

Always love your videos! Hows that garden you planned with no outside inputs going?

[@REDGardens]

Thanks. The plans for that garden got put aside when things got too busy this year.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150-b9t]

Would love to see you experiment with perennial kale varieties. Can't harvest them in time? No problem, just leave them in, and pick the leaves at your leisure. The plants will continue to produce even after going to seed.

[@REDGardens]

Tha would be interesting to try.

[@jeffmartin693]

your plot edges always look so good. what do you do to keep it looking so good?

[@REDGardens]

I bury a strip of plastic vertically underground at the edge of the garden, to keep the roots back. And then I use a trimmer to cut back the growth above ground.

[@billybones956]

If you want more people to eat them perhaps it's worth growing some different varieties. Kale comes in all sorts of colours. In Cumbria England we have a great climate for it too and have 10 varieties. I would recommend Red Ruble, White and Purple Peacock and Emerald Ice for some interestingly coloured cultivars, and maybe Kalettes for a March/April crop.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, more diversity would probably help.

[@sambmendez2454]

Make kale chips, olive oil, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, bake in oven😊

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@drpk6514]

Use them in smoothies

[@trish3580]

This year has been the worst for kale-or any leafy greens for me. Slugs were especially bad though it was hot and dry for months (zone 8 BC). I have some babies in a starter box but at only 4 inches tall I'm afraid to put them out as they'll be totalled by the slugs. Never in my 20+ yrs growing here have I been without kale, or other edible greens. I don't usually choose Winterbor as it is hard to see eggs etc on the leaves and really tough on my digestion- so like the flatter-leafed kale which are much more tender...which makes them a magnets for bugs and slugs! Wish there was a surefire chemical-free animal-free way to control the slugs as even with diligence I've just given up this week...and no kale in the winter...never thought that could happen especially since it is normally a staple...that and potatoes didn't make it this year :(

[@REDGardens]

That sounds like a rough situation with so many slugs. I have started using an 'organic' slug pellet that is made from Iron Phosphate, which apparently is not an issue for any other animals, and decomposes to useful nutrients. I have found it really useful to keep the population of slugs down, in combination with my other slug control methods.

[@marlan5470]

Chickens. Chickens love the stuff.

[@michaelmcclafferty3346]

I grew too much Kale too. Did you add lime to your beds before transplanting the seedlings? Thanks for an interesting video.

[@REDGardens]

I didn't add any lime because our soil is naturally high pH.

[@aanassazool]

Can we have biochar video?

[@REDGardens]

I did one years ago, but need to do a proper trial to see how effective it is.

[@aanassazool]

@@REDGardens ill w8 for it

[@Mastadex]

I completely neglected my kale this year and it's still producing like mad. Maybe it likes La Nina years.

[@REDGardens]

Nice!

[@Qopzeep]

Kale an inferior crop? Don't mention that to the Dutch 😂! Boerenkoolstamp (farmer's mash) is pretty much our national dish, served with a thick gravy and a smoked sausage. Colcannon is an Irish dish that's similar. Traditionally in the Netherlands (curly) kale isn't harvested until the first frost so it tastes sweeter. It will stand the winter like a champ, even with a full head of leaves, but until the warmth of early spring you won't get much growth. We harvest a full head as needed, so you'll be happy with how many plants you have. Next to a mash, I love creamed kale (alternative to spinach) with some pasta. Also, kale salads are nice. The trick is to massage the leaves for 5-10 minutes with an acid like lemon juice. This breaks up kale's structure, making it much less tough.

[@REDGardens]

I do like colcannon!

[@HansQuistorff]

I made sauerkraut out of the excess kale

[@REDGardens]

I should try that.

[@leontienfrieldarrell2032]

First

[@REDGardens]

Well done!

[@solarcrystal5494]

kale kinda tastes like pee so it makes sense that adding pee to the soil helped the kale

[@REDGardens]

😀

[@gardeningplus7271]

You make good videos and explain good not like charles ding ding in uk with misleading people.

[@REDGardens]

🤭

[@ximono]

Anyone who's selling a product is overselling their arguments. That said, I wouldn't say I've been misled by Mr. Charles Ding Ding (or Mr. Huw Rich Rich for that matter), having watched a lot of his videos and read his books. Except maybe in the edging and composting departments. If you only watch a few of his videos, I can see how it can be misleading though, because he makes everything sound so easy. I appreciate REDGardens for not having economical incentives driving the videos, it's like a breath of fresh air!

[@kirstypollock6811]

I don't find anything from either of the 2 mentioned guys misleading, it's nearly always been useful. Sure, they sell stuff (and I even buy some books) they gotta make a living. Nobody HAS to buy any of it. I just take what's useful out of the books and vids and see how my own garden works. CD was very honest lately about his economics - the market garden makes a loss (In my opinion, that's more symptomatic of the ridiculously low prices even quality veg fetches than anything else). But RedGardens is my favourite for the nerd factor, and the humanity of not always keeping up with the chores :-).

[@gardeningplus7271]

@@ximono He says he has no pests in his garden, and he covers everything he also uses compost we all know when you use compost you invite pests to your garden and he uses human sewer waste he is full of it people should stop buying his Vegi, I wouldn't eat that yuck.

[@ximono]

@@gardeningplus7271 You need to grow up. Humanure isn't sewer. He doesn't use it in his vegetable garden, for obvious reasons. He has all the common pests, yet his garden is healthy and his vegetables excellent. REDGardens has a video on urine, I don't think you'll like it.

[@opperhoofdgeilebizon]

A like and a comment, thanks for sharing your video's and insights 👍

[@REDGardens]

😁