Smooth German Kale

Heirloom kale brought to the US by the great grandparents of Irene Kemper who subsequently donated seed to the Seed Savers Exchange. Smooth, green leaves reach close to a metre or so in size providing lots of leafy greens for your pot or salad bowl. Raw leaves are ever so slightly bitter and have a tangy almost mustardy flavour. Once cooked the leaves sweeten and become more tender. Most kales are biennial, flowering the second year but this one bolts to seed year one making it easier to save your own seed. Early maturity offers the chance for a second crop in the fall.

Brassica napus

Days to maturity: 50

Life cycle: Annual