[Growster...]

In Emma Cooper's 'Allotment Pocket Bible', she calls it Portuguese Cabbage, and mentions that you can cook up the leaf ribs as a separate dish from the leaves. .

We particularly like chard and this sounds a very similar proposition, but, when Mrs G par-boiled it, dried it and tried to saute the small pieces with garlic, it still stayed particularly tough and not really very nice.

Any ideas anyone please?

(We've got to get through about 20 plants, and they're already three ft high, and covered in white fly, which is why we need to 'divesify'...;0)

[New shoot]

I'm a bit confused Growster    Easy done I grant you, but are you saying you have 20 kale plants covered in white fly - chard doesn't get white fly does it   

Anyway, if you are looking to chard stems as an alternative veg to kale stems, they can be tough and need quite a good cooking time, so possibly would be difficult to saute once cooked through.  If you boil or steam them until knife tender, you can cover them in cheese sauce and brown under the grill.  I can also recomend them slowly simmered in a veg soup 

[mumofstig]

I don't think Portuguese Cabbage is the same as Kale, It is more like a cabbage, but with wide mid-ribs ............Google Couve Tronchuda 

(It was featured on the Victorian Kitchen Garden progs )

[sunshineband]

Kale stems themselves (as opposed to leaf midribs) can be peeled before cooking and then they are delicious 

[Growster...]

I'm a bit confused Growster    Easy done I grant you, but are you saying you have 20 kale plants covered in white fly - chard doesn't get white fly does it   

Anyway, if you are looking to chard stems as an alternative veg to kale stems, they can be tough and need quite a good cooking time, so possibly would be difficult to saute once cooked through.  If you boil or steam them until knife tender, you can cover them in cheese sauce and brown under the grill.  I can also recomend them slowly simmered in a veg soup 

Sorry News, - to explain - we have a row of chard, which is a bit slow, as it is between two other rows and was blocked in a bit, so we ration what we can get from that particular row.

However, we've got a double row of kale, and, although it's been attacked by whitefly, they do wash off eventually. I just saw this note about the ribs in Emma's book, and thought it would be worth a try.

Cooking time seems to be the key, so we'll persevere...

Like the idea of the soup too - Caldo Verde?

[Growster...]

Couve Tronchuda ...

That's interesting Mum! I didn't know any of that!

[Growster...]

Kale stems themselves (as opposed to leaf midribs) can be peeled before cooking and then they are delicious 

Marvellous idea KC!

Out with the blighter...;0)

Didn't even occur to me to do that!

[sunshineband]

Kale stems themselves (as opposed to leaf midribs) can be peeled before cooking and then they are delicious 

Marvellous idea KC!

Out with the blighter...;0)

Didn't even occur to me to do that!

I 'as my uses -- even if some days they are hard to spot 

[Janeymiddlewife]

However, we've got a double row of kale, and, although it's been attacked by whitefly, they do wash off eventually.

I couldn't be bothered to wash them tonight as in too much of a hurry and they were going to be fried in hot oil, have to say I haven't noticed the difference cooking them like this, but I'll wait to see the morning................


edited to fix quote

[sunshineband]

It's Ok Janey they go green when they are cooked 

so no-one is any the wiser 

[mumofstig]

and they're extra protein 

Would vegetarians approve though 

[Ice]

Would vegetarians approve though 

What they don't know wont hurt them.

[Growster...]

I tried peeling them KC, and cut them to about pea size and they were pretty good just chucked in with the brusellls!

Must persevere as Mrs G is still doubtful, but they lose all the steel wires, so that makes a real difference!

[sunshineband]

I tried peeling them KC, and cut them to about pea size and they were pretty good just chucked in with the brusellls!

Must persevere as Mrs G is still doubtful, but they lose all the steel wires, so that makes a real difference!

Glad they tasted OK 

It's how the chinese prepare broccoli stems and that's why I treid it with kale 

[Growster...]

Somewhere I read that broccoli stems can be the basis for Stilton and broccoli soup KC.

Sounds like a winner to me...

Kale stems, just chopped, and liquidised, are great - as we found out in the last couple of days! Plenty of fibre, and very little tooth-pickery too...;0)