Kale — season, tips, and recipes in New Zealand
Kale is a vegetables available in New Zealand during March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, peaking in May, June, July. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy kale, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
Gets sweeter after a frost. The toughest of the leafy greens, which makes it hardy in the garden and sturdy enough to massage with dressing for raw salads.
How to pick a good one
Leaves should be dark green, firm, not wilting or yellowing. Smaller leaves are more tender. Curly kale is most common; cavolo nero (Tuscan kale) is flatter and sweeter.
How to store it
Fridge in a damp tea towel or loose bag for up to a week. Sturdy enough to prep ahead for salads.
Goes well with
lemon: Acid softens kale's tough cell structure when massaged in. A generous squeeze of lemon and kale goes from a resilient, slightly bitter leaf to something softer and brighter. The technique makes raw kale salads work.
garlic: Garlic's savoury glutamates provide the flavour depth that kale's slight bitterness needs. Wilted kale with garlic and olive oil is the simplest and most reliable preparation.
parmesan: Parmesan's intense umami and salt fill the flavour gap that kale's bitterness creates. The fat in the cheese also moderates the bitterness.
tahini: Tahini's rich, slightly bitter nuttiness sits well against kale's bitterness. The two bitternesses together are less bitter than either alone, balanced by tahini's fat.
sesame: Sesame's warm, roasted richness contrasts with kale's green earthiness. Used in Japanese and Korean preparations of kale that are significantly better than most Western approaches.
Recipes
Kale Caesar
Sturdier than lettuce. Holds dressing better.
Ingredients: 1 bunch kale (stems removed), 3 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 clove garlic (minced), 2 anchovy fillets (mashed), parmesan, croutons
Method: Tear kale into pieces. Massage with a pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon for 1 min until softened. Whisk dressing. Toss. Top with parmesan and croutons.
Crispy Kale Chips
Addictive. 15 minutes.
Ingredients: 1 bunch kale, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, optional: nutritional yeast, smoked paprika
Method: Remove stems. Tear into pieces. Toss with oil and salt. Spread on tray in single layer. Bake 150C for 12-15 min until crispy (watch closely, they burn fast).
Kale & White Bean Soup
Hearty, healthy, one pot.
Ingredients: 1 bunch kale, 1 tin cannellini beans, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1L stock, 1 tbsp olive oil, parmesan rind (optional), salt
Method: Sweat onion and garlic. Add stock and parmesan rind. Simmer 10 min. Add chopped kale and drained beans. Simmer 10 more min. Season.
Nutrition
One cup of raw kale provides 130% of your daily vitamin A, 100% of your daily vitamin C, and 680% of your daily vitamin K. Also provides 6% of your daily calcium and 6% of your daily iron. Only 7 calories per cup. One of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet by any measure. Gets sweeter after frost, which converts starch to sugar.