Sarah’s Kale Picks

Kale is the trouper of the winter veg garden, still producing at this grey and freezing time of year

‘Black Magic’

Recently bred, this kale is a more compact version of ‘Cavolo

Nero’ and stands at about 60cm. We grow it in large pots and also in a repurposed water trough as an elegant, edible container filler in winter (when there are very few cabbage white butterflies). Once picked, it tastes much the same as ‘Cavolo Nero’.

‘Cavolo Nero’

Also referred to as black Tuscan kale and ‘Nero di Toscana’, this was hardly known in the UK before it appeared in the first River Café cookbook, more than 25 years ago. Back then it was billed as an essential ingredient in many Italian winter dishes and has become a staple in British cooking. It is lovely to look at and delicious to eat. Its leaves are best when young and fresh – pick them regularly, because if they’re left to grow too long, they become tough and bitter.

‘Curly Scarlet’

This one is similar to ‘Redbor’, but a little shorter at 90cm (3ft), so it’s the one we tend to choose for our larger pots or troughs. With enough manure added to the compost in the container, it will thrive and crop for several months be it winter or summer. I’m a massive fan.

Kalettes

Brassica oleracea kalettes (or flower sprouts), are a kale/ Brussels sprouts hybrid, and are packed with antioxidants. If you have room, I really recommend you grow them. Unlike Brussels sprouts, they will crop at least two or three times if you pick the outer leaves by twisting them off the main stem.

‘Pentland Brig’

Green and curly, this kale is the one that’s most widely available at grocery stores and even supermarkets. It’s good to eat and ideal if you want to grow something familiar.

‘Redbor’

This is the best-looking kale with statuesque, deep red, trunk-like stems covered in crinkly crimson leaves. My friend and colleague Arthur Parkinson (who has a garden growing entirely in pots) grows ‘Redbor’ just for its looks. He loves its fabulous colour and leaf shape as a backdrop to tulips, daffodils and wallflowers in spring, and grows it with purple alliums, too. He pinches it out hard to prevent it getting too huge, but is happy to let it run to flower as the bees have a field day.

‘Red Russian’

Tender and more spinach-like than a classic kale, ‘Red Russian’ is a beautiful plant featuring greyish leaves with a purple cast that deepens as the weather cools. It keeps producing for six months, retaining its gentle flavour and soft texture right through the year. Picked small, with leaves just a few centimetres long, it’s also delicious raw in salads.

Spigariello

Brassica oleracea spigariello is a new favourite of mine. You can eat the narrow leaves of this leafy broccoli from July right through the winter, and then in spring you can harvest its flower shoots like a tenderstem broccoli. Keep picking and it seems to keep producing for months at a stretch.