Edited to add: Apparently there’s also an issue with kale if you’re taking blood thinners. Who would have thought vegetables needed a disclaimer but . . before eating kale, please make sure it isn’t going to cause any health issues or interfere with meds you may be taking.
Kale is one of those veggies that, based on everything I’ve read, is pretty healthy and good for you. Some folks love it, some detest it. I’m one of those folks who loves it, but Vince isn’t quite as in love with it as I am. Kale chips and in soups are my favorite ways to eat it. The young, tender leaves are quite good in a salad also.
If you’re one of those who isn’t so sure about kale, please read this article about the health benefits. It’s a powerhouse of vitamins, fiber and minerals. There are a few drawbacks to eating too much kale . . some studies have shown that eating too much kale can cause thyroid issues and . . kidney stones! Do your own research if you are concerned.
Kale is one of those plants that will grow just about year round here. Mine is dying off from the heat, drought and bugs but by the end of August or the first of September, I can replant it for a fall/winter crop.
For soups, I will freeze the kale leaves by blanching them in boiling water for about 3 minutes, then dunking them in ice water for about 5 minutes, run them through the salad spinner and ideally, flash freeze them on cookie sheets before transferring the leaves to freezer bags. My freezers are stuffed full so I’ll probably forego the flash freezing and simply stuff the leaves into freezer bags and put them in the freezer. Kale that has been blanched before being frozen should last up to a year in the freezer.
Another method for preserving it is dehydrating. Before getting too fired up about dehydrating kale, I wanted to be sure that the health benefits weren’t destroyed by dehydrating. This article leaves me feeling pretty confident that I haven’t killed all the good stuff by dehydrating the kale.
Kale
Kale is one of those veggies that actually dehydrates down to almost nothing. I started with about four sinks full of leaves. I pick the leaves when they’re young and tender . . quite different from most of what you see in the stores around here.
Rinse them several time to get the grit out of the ruffled leaves. In the final rinse, I add several tablespoons of white vinegar to the water. This helps get rid of any bugs that may be hanging on . . enjoying a meal of fresh kale!
Kale
Drain the leaves on towels and then run through salad spinner if you would like to remove a bit more water. It will all dehydrate out if you don’t want to mess with running it through the salad spinner.
Kale
Remove any bigger stems. I try to harvest the leave before the stems are this big.
Kale
Because the leaves are a bit stiff and curly, the don’t always fit on the narrow dehydrator shelves so I chop them a bit, just to get them to fit better in the dehydrator.
Kale
The shelves are loaded and I dehydrate them on the vegetable setting until they are crunchy.
Once dried, they go into the blender to be chopped into a powder. Three sinks full of kale leaves, dehydrated and ground into a powder . .
Kale
That’s a half pint jar! When would I use powdered kale? I love adding a tablespoon to things like:
- Brown Gravy (when making beef or pork roast)
- Spaghetti sauce
- Soups or Stews
- Dried Pinto or Black Beans
It’s like adding a spoonful of vitamins and minerals to whatever dish I’m adding it to. It can also be added to smoothies and even omelettes . . just add about a teaspoon to the eggs when beating them.
I was always able to add the powdered kale to dishes without Chad, who would die if he thought I was feeding him kale, even knowing it was in there.
Norece says
Thanks for the tip. I do not appreciate Kale but I think I could use it in powder form. I will have to go to the farmer’s market and see if they have any. I sure do miss my garden this year.
Pat says
Could they be stored without making a powder to use in soups and other dishes? I like the bits of leaves in some dishes.
Could the dried cantaloupe be rehydrated in fruit salad like using dried cranberries or raisins?
Joyce says
I like the idea of kale powder. I grow it in my garden, but I think the bugs eat as much of it (or more) than I do…
Mary says
I enjoy your blog posts especially the quilting and knitting ones. Recently I’ve noticed ads appearing directly on top of any link you add. The ad blocks the link and the surrounding words. Then there’s a delay in reading the post as I have to wait for the ad to disappear. I know you must have ads in order to provide us with the blog – but – is it possible for the ads to appear off to the side so it doesn’t interrupt the reading of your post? Thanks for the blogs and for considering this suggestion.
Terri says
Very interesting! The powder would work great in smoothies!
All we seem to have a lot of so far is jalapeños. But our garden is itty bitty lol. And it does look like I’ll be drowning in zucchini soon! Gotta figure out what to do with both. Probably should get a pressure canner ordered………
Dar in MO says
Judy, this is such a timely post. I have a whole drawer full of kale in the fridge now and more in a friend’s garden that she grew for ME. She is using it too now and we were wondering the best way to preserve it for both of us. I love the dehydrated idea to conserve space and for multiple uses in so many foods. One thing I don’t want is kidney stones, so I’d better slow down on it in my smoothies. They are pretty green sometimes. Thanks so much for all this wonderful info.
Sherrill says
Ooo, I LOVE kale especially when made in the zuppa Toscana soup like at Olive Garden using this recipe http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Super-Delicious-Zuppa-Toscana/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=zuppa%20toscana&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page&soid=sr_results_p1i2 and subbing the kale for the spinach. YUMMY!!
Anita says
Great tips on kale, I love it! I was surprised when someone told me it was bad but she was an older nurse and I guess worried about blood thinning. I love the dehydrating idea so will have to try it 🙂
Karen langseth says
About the medical part, kale is extremely high in vitamin k….which helps to keep the blood the correct thickness. For someone on an aspirin or other medication to keep the blood thinner, kale is not the vegetable to eat.
Penny says
Judy
Re: disclaimer about kale ~ so true! When I had knee replacement surgery I was “ordered” to eat lots of kale before the surgery but warned that after surgery when I needed to take blood thinners I should not eat kale & others vegetables that I can’t remember. The only reason that I remember kale is that everytime I ate kale I wish that I hadn’t because it upset my stomach & digestive system. When I discussed w/ the nurse she said that many people cannot eat kale for that reason. Recently hearing again about the many benefits of kale I tried & unfortunately found that it still upset my stomach.(I do think kale chips are the best!) Watching Dr Oz on tv recently he really thinks kale is so beneficial but not everyone’s digestive system can tolerate kale.
Rebecca in SoCal says
Darn it, Judy! You keep making me want to start a garden!
I think you can find tender young kale in the supermarkets…if you look at the bagged salads for “baby kale.” Not that I’m recommending it!
That kale powder is impressive! Knowing how much fresh kale it contains must make you conservative in its use.
My husband has been asking for kale chips. I think a supermarket visit is in my near future.