In our online feature, In Season, we highlight seasonal fruits and vegetables throughout the year. What they are, the different varieties, their health properties, and how to incorporate them into your cooking.

KALE

What: This hardy green, part of the brassica family (which also includes cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts) thrives in cool weather. It’s generally available beginning in July, but it benefits flavour-wise from colder temperatures and frost.

Varieties: Most common in North America are curly leaved kale, Cavolo nero (known by a number of other names including Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale lacinato kale), and Russian Red kale. Baby kale is less coarse, often used in salad greens.

Health properties: Kale is no slouch in the health department. Considered a superfood, it’s full of vitamins A, C and K, and beta carotene. Kale also contains sulforaphane, a chemical with cancer-fighting properties. More good news? Calorie for calorie, it has more iron than beef. It’s also low in calories, high in fibre, and fat-free.

Plays well with: Onions, garlic, sausage (especially chorizo), pancetta, lemon, pasta

Simple ways to use:

Salad: Kale can be used in a salad. If you’re using baby kale, dress as you usually would. If you’re using full leaves, cut away the stems, roll up the leaves, and slice into thin strips

Sauteed kale with garlic or onion: garlic and onion, when cooked, add a welcome sweetness that offsets kale’s inherent bitterness.

Anywhere you’d use green veggies: that means soups, stews, quiche, stir fries, etc.

Roasted kale chips: Remove stems, chop, and toss with a bit of olive oil before roasting in a 350F oven for about 15 minutes, until crisp and slightly browned around the edges.

Storage:

Depending on the variety of kale, a bunch can be large and unwieldy to put in your refrigerator as-is. For that reason, we like to remove the stems, roughly chop the kale, and place in a plastic storage bag until we’re ready to use it.

Get cooking with kale!

Kale and parmesan quiche with phyllo crust

Risotto, spinach and kale cakes with parmesan

Kale and pepper calzones

Kale and basil pesto

Joe Cross’s green juice

Lentil, kale and sausage soup

Black-eyed peas with lemon and kale

Pink grapefruit, kale and radish salad

Coconut, pineapple and kale-stuffed pork loin

Maple-seared scallops with creamy kale

Dandelion, kale and kohlrabi salad

Triple-threat superfood burger with sweet potato, walnuts & kale

What’s your favourite way to use kale? Comment below!