tips for growing kale & making your own kale chips
Growing your own vegetables from seeds is rewarding in so many ways, not to mention economical! The feeling of satisfaction when you can simply walk over to your very own veggie garden, pick a few leafy vegetables and voila, both bank balance and environment are looking a little healthier! Our favourite vegetable at the moment has taken over the foodie industry, so we thought we would explore the do’s and don’ts of growing kale from scratch.
Kale has been around for more than 2000 years but only rose in popularity in recent years. Today, Kale has climbed the foodie-favourites list, with endorsements from the likes of Beyonce, it’s very own “National Kale Day” in the States, and even a dedicated cookbook, “Fifty Shades of Kale”, boasting fifty enticing new ways to enjoy one of Mother Nature’s hottest properties.
Not only has this leafy vegetable gotten an upgrade in presentation in the trendiest restaurants, but growing kale at home has also become a popular choice for keen gardeners. This carefree crop is easy to plant and one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, not to mention having zero fat!
Top tip for growing kale: The kale plant prefers cooler weather, so either provide some shade or choose the cooler side of the garden to grow these lovely leafy vegetables. You can also get variants that are more tolerant to the heat.
How to Grow Kale from Seed:
1) Do not cover the Kale seed with soil as they require light for germination.
2) Grow in seed trays and transfer to soil in 4 – 6 weeks.
3) Plant the seeds in rows about 15cm apart. After transferring, space the plants 45cm to 60cm apart.
3) Keep the soil moderately moist during germination. This should happen in one or two weeks.
4) When the young plants are about 7cm tall, thin them out, leaving the strongest and best plants.
5) Kale harvests in about 7-9 weeks
Here’s a tasty recipe for delicious kale chips that you could serve straight from your own garden in winter or summer! Let’s get growing!
Delicious Kale Chips – Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
INGREDIENTS
Chips:
(per baking sheet)
- 1/2 bunch kale leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil
Seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 175°C an line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Remove leaves from the stems of the kale and roughly tear them up into large pieces. Compost the stems (or freeze for smoothies). Wash and spin the leaves until thoroughly dry.
- Add kale leaves into a large bowl. Massage in the oil until all the nooks and crannies are coated in oil. Now sprinkle on the spices/seasoning and toss to combine.
- Spread the kale out onto your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more until the kale begins to firm up and the edges are brown. The kale will look shrunken, but this is normal.
- Cool on the sheet for a few minutes before digging in!
Serve on an Eetrite organic shaped platter and enjoy immediately as they lose their crispiness with time.