Kale

Latin name: Brassica oleracea

🌱 Days to Sprout: 7-21 

😋 Plant food: after true leaves 

✂️ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube

🍅 Days to Maturity: 53-65

💡 Light Zone: Moderate

📏 Plant Size: 1 ft

💚 Care Level: Beginner

Kale has been a staple crop for over 2,000 years in many regions of the world, especially the north, as it is resilient to colder temperatures, grows relatively fast, and is nutrient dense. It’s thought to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean.

Kale is known as a superfood because it is dense in nutrients such as magnesium, which supports healthy blood pressure, mood, sleep, and muscle strength. It is also high in vitamins A, K, and C, antioxidants, and beta-carotene.

Kale is a versatile green delicious fresh or cooked. Try gently massaging fresh leaves to help break down some of their fiber and make them easier to eat. Raw, steamed, or sautéed leaves taste great in salads, rice bowls, soups, and smoothies. You can also bake it into kale chips!

💡Temperature: Prefers cooler temperatures (60-70°F).

✂️ Pruning: Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod. 

🔎 Plant Health: Aphids are a common pest, but you can use our prevention and treatment tricks to keep pests at bay! 

🥬 Harvest: For ongoing harvest, snip the outer leaves just above the base of the plant once they reach 2-3 inches tall to let the inner leaves continue to grow. Leave 1/3 of the plant if you want it to keep growing. To harvest the full head, wait until it reaches maturity, then harvest from the base.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Garlic & Oil) with Kale

Recipe Source: Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• Kosher salt

• 3 large or 4 smaller bunches kale, any type (about 1½ pounds)

• 5 garlic cloves

• ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 12 ounces spaghetti, thick spaghetti, bucatini, or other long strand pasta

• Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes (for serving)

• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, strip kale leaves from ribs and stems, then tear leaves crosswise into 2″–3″ pieces.

2. Cook kale in boiling water until bright green and slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer kale to a colander and rinse under cold water, tossing. Squeeze out excess liquid from leaves. Keep water at a boil (you’ll use it for the pasta).

3. Whack garlic with the side of a chef’s knife to crush; peel off skins. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until sizzling, about 3 minutes. Season very generously with black pepper and cook, smashing with a wooden spoon, until cloves break into rough pieces, soften, and look golden.

4. Add kale to pot and cook, stirring often, until darkened in color and very tender, about 8 minutes (garlic will break into even smaller pieces). Season with kosher salt and pepper.

5. Meanwhile, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (firm, about 2–3 minutes fewer than package directions).

6. Using tongs, add pasta to kale; splash in about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce lightly coats pasta, about 2 minutes.

7. Serve pasta topped with Parmesan, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and more black pepper.

Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.