Kale Red Russian is more tender to eat & has a sweeter flavour than the more traditional varieties of curly Kale. It has grey/green 'oak leaf' shaped frilly leaves with attractive purple veining, which get deeper in the cold.
The young leaves are good for 'baby leaf' use in salads, and the older leaves can be used just like cabbage; sauted, steamed or blanched.
Kale Red Russian makes great 'Chinese Seaweed'. Just remove the midrib, thinly slice & deep fry for no more than a minute and dry on kitchen paper before serving with a sprinkle of salt & sugar.
The older leaves are lovelily stir-fried with a bit of garlic, bacon pieces and finely chopped chilli.
It is a useful veg that contains a lot of vitamins, provides a good crop of greens when little else is available in the winter months and is relatively low maintenance.
Kale Red Russian Vegetable Seed Information
Seed Quantity:
Approx 200 seeds per pack.
Site:
Any, but add lots of good organic matter to planting hole.
When to Sow:
March to August.
How to Sow:
Sow in modules or small pots, 1cm deep & water. Plant out when 12cm tall 50cm between each and 50cm between the rows, if large leaves are required. Plant seedlings closer about 10cm apart for baby leaf production. Plants will grow to 70-90cm tall. A spring sowing and a late summer sowing will keep you in Kale for the year.
Care:
Requires little maintenance apart from water in dry spells and pick leaves to ensure further production of young leaves.
Harvest:
3 months after sowing. June to March.