Kale is a bit of an experimental plant for me – I have never grown it before, and (believe it or not) had not eaten it until last year, when I visited my brother in London. In Europe this is a hugely popular leafy green, and it is easily found in supermarkets. In Australia, it is known in the health food industry, and by foodies, but as far as I can tell it isn’t yet big in supermarkets. Kale is counted as a “super food”- it is high in a huge range of beneficial vitamins and minerals, and can be used in traditional European cooking, juiced or used as a substitute for spinach. Find a recipe for sauteed kale here.

Kale is a beautiful, frilly-leafed plant that is a visually appealing addition to the vegetable garden. It loves the cold in winter, and can be picked as you need it throughout the growing season. It is a part of the brassica family, but so far has been much easier to grow than other family members I have had in the garden. I started my kale in seed raising mix in punnets, and planted out once they had a pair of true leaves. They were attacked by snails or slugs at one stage, but this problem was solved by surrounding them with sugar cane mulch (apparently snails dislike travelling over pointy things in comparison to smooth soil). Make sure to keep the much at a distance from the stems so it doesn’t smother the young plants or cause the stems to rot.

Once kale has established, it is a productive cropper- cut stems from the outside of the plant as you need them. The smaller leaves are tastier, and apparently frost improves the flavour. Practice crop rotation, and don’t plant with plants in the same family.