Perennial Kale – From Garden to Kitchen

Make the most of your perennial kale harvest, from young leaves in salads to hearty cooked dishes. For potting, planting and harvesting advice, see Perennial Kale – Growing Instructions.

Choosing leaves for salads

If you plan to eat your perennial kale raw, choose young, tender leaves, preferably smaller than the palm of your hand. These have a softer texture and are particularly good in salads or sandwiches.

Larger, more mature leaves are excellent for cooking, especially in dishes such as Muriwo une Dovi, where the leaves soften as they cook.

We find Daubenton's Panaché particularly tender, although young leaves from all three varieties can be enjoyed raw.

Preparing the stalks and leaves

After harvesting, separate the leafy portions from their central stalks. Finely shred the stalks and cook them in the pan first while preparing the leaves. Slice the leaves into fine ribbons, approximately 5 mm wide, and add them once the stalks have had a head start. This helps the thicker stalks become tender without overcooking the leaves, and means you can enjoy the whole harvest.

Recipes and ways to enjoy your kale

Try a massaged kale salad

Remove tough central stalks from the leaves, shred finely, then gently massage with a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt until softened. Add your favourite salad ingredients.

Muriwo une Dovi – Zimbabwean perennial kale with peanut butter

A Zimbabwean woman who recognised the perennial kale growing at our market garden shared this dish with us. She explained how valuable this vegetable could be in her community: one established plant could supply leaves and cuttings for more plants, including plants to sell at market. This is the cooking method she taught us.

Ingredients: A generous quantity of perennial kale; 1 chopped onion; 1–2 chopped tomatoes (fresh or tinned); a generous amount of peanut butter, to taste; salt; optional pepper or chilli flakes; cooking oil, as used in the method we were taught.

1. Add a generous amount of oil to a deep cooking pan, as we were taught. Add the onion and tomatoes and cook them down until softened and juicy.
2. Remove the central stalks from the kale leaves, shred the stalks finely and add them to the pan first. Cook for a few minutes in the onion and tomato mixture until the stalks start to become tender.
3. Slice the leaves into fine ribbons, about 5 mm wide, and add them to the pan. Put the lid on and allow them to soften until the bright green colour becomes duller.
4. Add a generous amount of peanut butter and season well with salt. Add pepper or chilli flakes if you like.
5. Stir as the peanut butter melts into the moisture released by the kale. Remove the lid and cook until the liquid reduces to a thick, rich peanut sauce coating the leaves.

Serve hot, on its own or with sadza or rice. Contains peanuts.

Don’t throw away the stalks! When a Zimbabwean woman taught us this recipe, she insisted that we eat the kale stalks, telling us they were full of vitamins and minerals. It was exactly what my grandmother used to say! The stalks are nutritious too, and simply need a little longer to cook than the leaves.