Kale - Attacked! Still edible?

[Sweetened]

I planted Kale this year and it was -so- good. Then.. the cabbage butterflies ate my cabbage .

And my broccoli .

And.. my cauliflower .

Aaand my kale...

My kale, with the cold, is exploding again and I'm trying to find out if its okay to eat the leaves that are damaged from the cabbage larvae? Anyone know...? They're fine other than that.

Thanks for your time!

[cynthia_h]

Sure. Just wash them very well before eating them.

My kale was savaged by snails in October 2008 (this was before the first seasonal Snail Hunt), but I soaked the kale in a sink of warm water and swished it around really well, then lifted the kale up, drained the water, and repeated the process.

The kale cooked up normally and tasted very good....

Why the warm water? I can't remember where I read it, but in one of my (many...) cookbooks there was a recommendation to wash spinach "and other leafy greens" in warm water so that their pores/vacuoles would open up and release any sand/soil particles. Lifting the leaves out of the water rather than scooping them to one side meant that the leaves wouldn't pick up said sand/soil particles again by accident.

I've now followed this practice for a long time and can vouch for it: minimal, if any, sand/soil in my spinach, chard, kale, rapini, broccoli leaves, or sorrel. And no yucky insect "evidence," either. *whew*

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Sweetened]

Hi Cynthia, you cook your kale? I eat my kale raw which is where my concern is. How do you cook them?

[applestar]

I like to briefly soak produce in salty water.... It seems to help get bugs and other things off.

Hard skinned things like cukes and apples, sometimes also potatoes and carrots are scrubbed with coarse Kosher salt.

[cynthia_h]

Cooked kale: light sauté in olive oil with garlic.

Or mixed greens: kale, rapini (aka broccoli raab/rabe), broccoli leaves, chard sautéed in olive oil with garlic. Stir into cooked pasta. Optional: toasted pine nuts.

This greens/pasta dish is what I was making once a week in late 2008 when DH decided that we were eating "too much" of the same thing. Right..."too much" freshly picked, beyond organic, absolutely healthy green vegetables.

I missed them last year.

This year: plenty of 'em. If he don't want 'em, there's plenty for me. And for the dogs, who *appreciate* good food when it's put in front of 'em.

Cynthia

[garden5]

Interesting about the warm water, Cynthia! Tell me, do you do this with lettuce as well (you didn't mention that in your list)? I was always under the impression that rinsing lettuce in cold water will keep it crispier, maybe that was an old wife's tale .

Also, do you use warm water or hot water?


Thanks for the neat tip.