Kale and Baby Kale

What’s Below:

About Kale

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT Kale

Kale is a leafy green in the mustard/brassica family that has origins in Italy, Greece and Turkey where it was first cultivated over 4,000 years ago. It’s been adopted into a variety of cuisines across Black and brown diasporas in place of greens native to Africa and Southeast Asia, and has typically been substituted or combined with several other greens in Southern U.S. dishes or stir-fries and stews in Asian dishes.

Mature kale and baby kale are green leafy vegetables that grow abundantly throughout our whole CSA season. Mature kale is known for its tough and fibrous texture.

Unlike mature kale, baby kale has a much milder flavor than its older sibling. Like arugula, baby kale is known for its slight peppery taste. It can be eaten raw or sauteed. Since baby kale isn’t at its peak maturity, it can also come in mixed salad greens because it tastes so mild. 

COOKING & STORAGE

• Edible parts: Leaves and stems.

• Medicine and Nutrients: Kale is an incredible source of vitamins and minerals like iron, Vitamins K and C.

• Storage for Baby Kale : Wrap the bunch of kale in a layer of paper towels, and store in a supermarket plastic bag or a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. The kale should be in great shape for a week.

• Storage for Mature Kale: Kale is hearty, and it will keep in the refrigerator for more than a week. Store dry in a a plastic bag with most of the air squeezed out, or wrapped in a paper towel.

Ways to Prepare 

• RAW: When prepared for raw salads or slaws, kale needs to be chopped very fine and/or massaged in order for oils, vinegars, and salt to fully penetrate and season the leaves.

• COOKED: Kale leaves can also be sautéed, braised, steamed, roasted, stir fried, and used in soups/stews. 

RECIPES

• Kale Potato Sabzi (Masala Chilli)

• Vegan Kale Steak Salad (Eat Yo Destiny)

• Kale and Persimmon Salad (Nom Nom Paleo)

• Curried Kale and Chickpeas (page 17, from Made In East New York Community Cookbook: 3rd Edition)

• Braised Kale and Chard (Son of A Southern Chef)

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

Broccoli and Broccoli Greens

What’s Below:

About Broccoli

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT broccoli

Broccoli is a plant in the brassica family that has origins in Italy, Greece and Turkey where it was first cultivated over 4,000 years ago. The part of the plant that’s the most popular to cook with are its bushy flowers which are known as florets which make up the “crown” or “head” of broccoli. The broccoli variety most folks are familiar with due to its signature full, bushy head are native to the Calabria region of Southern Italy. Although most broccoli plants only produce one head of florets, the leaves surrounding the head are also edible and can be cooked like collards or kale. Broccoli and its greens are available all year round.

Although calabrese broccoli is the most well known type, other varieties of broccoli include romanesco, broccolini, and broccoli rabe. Several East Asian cuisines, particularly Chinese and Korean, have adopted and transformed broccoli into their foodways with the use of rich soy and fish based sauces, as well as in stir-fries and soups.

COOKING & STORAGE

• Edible parts: Floret heads, stems, and leaves

• Medicine and Nutrients: All types of broccoli can be delicious sources of vitamins and minerals like iron, Vitamin K and C.

• Storage for Broccoli Heads: To store it, mist the unwashed heads, wrap loosely in damp paper towels, and refrigerate. Use within 2 to 3 days. Do not store broccoli in a sealed container or plastic bag. Raw broccoli requires air circulation. 

  Storage for Broccoli Greens: Store unwashed broccoli greens in  a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. The leaves are hardy and can last for up to 2 weeks. If they wilt a little, trim the stems and stick them in a glass of water in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the stems and rinse the leaves just before eating.

Ways to Prepare 

• RAW: Broccoli leaves can be chopped fine for salads and slaws.

• COOKED: Broccoli can be sauteed, braised, steamed, baked, stir fried, and used in soups/stews. Their greens are very similar to collard greens, and should be treated as such. This is a very neglected part of the broccoli plant, most folks are not aware that such big hearty leaves can come from broccoli. Broccoli greens can be sauteed, braised, steamed, baked, stir fried, and in soups and stews. They can be used interchangeably in recipes that call for kale or collard greens. 

RECIPES

• Cooking with Broccoli Greens (The Forager Chef)

• Video Demo of Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Tabitha Brown)

• Caramelized Broccoli with Garlic

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

Dandelion Greens

Dandelion greens are at their peak in the spring to very early summer, before the flowers begin to bloom. They are known for a slight bitter taste, which is more notable in mature dandelion greens. However, that bitter taste can be removed by blanching or steaming them! Young dandelion greens are milder, which makes them appropriate to eat raw in salads. Other ways of cooking dandelion greens are sauteing, braising and putting in soups in place of spinach.

Storage: Store dandelion greens wrapped in a damp paper towel in an open ziploc bag in your crisper drawer for up to a week.

Recipes and Ideas: 

1. 10 Recipes Using Dandelion Greens

2. Dandelion Greens With a Kick!

3. Dandelion Greens and Beans Skillet