Name: Ruffles Kale (Curly Halbhoher) 173
SKU: 767
Availability: InStock

Ruffles Kale (Curly Halbhoher) 173

$3.65 – $6.35

Productive variety with good frost hardiness. Dark-green, curly, medium-large leaves. Good taste, which improves with the first frost. Overwintered in our Upstate NY garden and grew productive side shoots after flowering in the second year.

Description

Curly Halbhoher Kale Seeds

DAYS TO HARVEST
60
45 days for baby leaves

SOWING
Direct sow curly halbhoher kale seeds ~3-4″ apart 1/2″ deep. Thin to ~10″ apart (and eat thinnings!) OR
Start indoors 3-4 weeks before last frost and transplant 10-12″ apart. Recommended to harden off 2-4 days before transplanting.Last planting should be around end of June for fall crops (zone 5B)

LIGHT PREFERENCE
Partial to full sun

SOIL REQUIREMENTS
Well draining soil with high organic matter – fairly pH tolerant

PLANT HEIGHT
~4″ for baby greens
8-10″ for bunching greens

PLANT SPACING
~12″ per plant for bunching kale
2-4″ for baby greens

HARDINESS ZONES
Hardy. Can tolerate frost and over winter in some areas

HARVEST
Bunching greens: harvest outer most leaves for a continual harvest
Baby greens: cut ~1″ above soil for cut and come again greens for 3-5 harvests

USES & COOKING SUGGESTIONS

Massaged Kale Salad from Lisa at Turtle Tree Seed

2 bunches of kale
1/2 teaspoon salt, ideally sea salt
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or grapeseed)1/2 lemon
1-2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice vinegar

Strip leaves from the stems (discard stems or use for stock or pickle them!). Wash and dry the leaves. Tear the leaves into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add oil, salt, lemon, honey, and vinegar. With clean hands, firmly massage and crush the greens to break down the outer waxy protection* of the kale leaf and to mix in the flavoring. Stop when the volume of greens is reduced by about half and the greens look a little darker and somewhat shiny. Add vinegar, honey, and salt to taste. Dried cranberries, sliced apples or pears, nuts, and Parmesan, goat, or feta cheese pair well in this salad.

*some brassicas such as cabbage, kale, collards, and broccoli have cuticular wax on their leaves serving to protect them against some insects and to retain moisture. Some people have difficulty breaking this substance down during digestion and therefor eating these and like vegetables raw may cause indigestion or gas. Massaging kale allows this substance to be broken down while keeping the vegetable raw making it easier to digest!