The Hardy Brassicas
Recipes: As you fill out your seed order forms this winter, don't neglect the hardier members of the cabbage family. Some of these fine vegetables can provide your family with good eating even through the coldest months of a Maine winter. Not only will they survive hard freezing, but many varieties are dramatically improved by it.
Kale is a good example of a neglected vegetable that deserves to be better known. Many people know the colorful ornamental kales that can be left in the ground all winter and emerge from the snow in spring little the worse for wear. Familiarity with these garnish kales makes many restaurant-goers think that all kales are tough and prickly. But frost mellows and sweetens kale leaves, and a great strength of the plant is that it maintains a pleasant crunchiness even after thorough cooking.
Winterbor' is a vigorous green kale that is a good choice for the winter table. It comes highly recommended by our friend Beth Haines of Peacemeal Farm in Dixmont. After most everything in the garden has died or been harvested, these large, umbrella-like plants remain standing, and the thick green fronds can be pulled off one at a time for soups and stir-fries. Beth likes them for their severe cold hardiness and good taste. She also grows Red Russian', a deep red heirloom type. Lacinato', or dinosaur kale, has unique wrinkly prehistoric- looking leaves and good frost hardiness. (It's carried by Johnny's as "Toscano" and by Fedco as "Nero di Tuscana"). We also like Konserva' for either summer or winter growing.
Kales usually mature quickly, in about 60 days, though baby kale can be harvested in a month from planting. Seeds are very small. Some brassica seedlings don't do well in hot weather, but still need to be started early enough to reach maturity before winter. In our area this means they should be planted in July. They do well following garlic in a rotation. Like all cabbage family plants, kale should not be grown in the same bed for at least four years, and benefits from row cover, which helps keep off flea beetles and cabbage worms
Brussels sprouts are the other very hardy brassica. They are a little more difficult to grow than kale, but the effort is worthwhile, because the only way to get really good Brussels sprouts (unless you have access to a winter farmer's market) is to grow your own. Many people are turned off by this vegetable because they have never had them well grown.
Most varieties need about four months to reach maturity, and should be planted in a fertile soil with plenty of moisture. There is not a lot of choice in commercially available seed. Fedco and Johnny's only offer Oliver' and Trafalgar'. Of these, Oliver' is short season and best for fall harvest. It also survives hot weather and drought well. Beth likes Trafalgar', which takes longer to grow and holds better in cold weather. We like Prince Marvel', which has very good flavor, but the seeds are getting hard to find.
Brussels sprouts can be left in the field and harvested as you need them. The sprouts often don't mature at the same time so you can pick the full sized once first, leaving the smaller ones for later. Pull off the leaves as you remove the sprouts. The plants can also be pulled up whole, stripped of leaves, and hung upside down in a moist cold storage area. They begin to lose quality after a few months of very cold weather, in Maine they should probably all be picked by January.
Brussels sprouts should be simmered until fork-tender (less than 5 minutes) and served with butter and balsamic vinegar.
Some kinds of hardy brassicas do better under a light cover such as a single layer hoophouse. These include such leafy greens as collards and Oriental vegetables like tatsoi and mizuna and also Chinese radishes. They can stand a lot of cold as long as they are not left out in the snow and ice.
Kale will also do well if transplanted even as a full sized plant into a cold greenhouse. Just dig up the whole plant with plenty of soil around the roots, and heel it into your greenhouse soil. The plants will stay healthy through the winter and in spring will produce tender flower stalks for salad or stir fry. Overwintered kale plants in the field will soon bolt, producing good early forage for pollinating insects.
This tasty side dish can also be made with fresh tomatoes, in season.
1 bunch kale, washed & chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
« cup chicken broth
2 cups homemade tomato sauceHeat the oil in a large frying pan. Saute the garlic for a few minutes. Add the kale and stock. Cover the pan and simmer 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and simmer until kale is tender.
The Belfast Farmer's Market will reopen at it's summer location at Reny's Plaza in May.