Saflax - Organic - Kale - Westland Winter - Brassica oleracea - 70 seeds - The winter vegetable of the northern lights – full aromatic and rich in vitamins. Worth knowing: Westland is a high-yielding kale variety that develops tight currugated, blue-green leaves. The plant is sturdy and ideally suited for cutting from October until March.. You should wait for the first frost before starting to harvest Kale, as only then the metabolic process of the plant will turn the starch compounds into sugar and the bitter substances will fade. The leaves should be harvested from the outside to the inside to stimulate the further growth of the plant. Pluck the leaves regularly as especially the fine leaves are the most tasty ones. For a classic preparation of Kale, remove the leaves from the stalk and pluck off the leaf green along the stem. Boil the leaves in hot saltwater for about 2 to 4 minutes. Strain off and rinse with cold tap water, then let the water drip off. Gently squeeze out the remaining water with your hands. Chop up the Kale into bigger or smaller pieces as you prefer. Braise some chopped onions in lard, add the Kale and let it crumble. After about 10 minutes cover with a lid, douse with some vegetable stock from time to time and leave it to cook for 40 to 50 minutes. Refine with salt and pepper. About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking process you can add some ground pork or Kassler to cook together. Natural Place: Even though Kale has its origin in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean and in Asia Minor, it is nowadays a culinary delight particularly in Great Britain, Scandinavia, Holland and northern Germany. Cultivation: You can start cultivation from January until March in a wind-sheltered cold frame with a fleece cover for frosty nights, or in pot on your windowsill. Plant three seeds per planting hole about 1 cm deep into coconut substrate or organic vegetable substrate. After germination, you can prick the seedlings out leaving only the strongest one. It will take about four to six weeks after seeding until the seedlings have properly developed. A temperature between 15° and 20° Celsius would be ideal for germination. Starting from the end of May, when there are no frosty nights ahead anymore, and as soon as the seedlings have developed a proper rooting, they can be planted out in the open. Provide some underlining/padding with compost and place the seedlings deep enough into the soil so that the roots are covered with about 1 cm of earth. Leave about 40 to 50 cm space between the plants. Place: The plant has high nutrient demand and grows best at a sunny place of the vegetable patch and in well-grounded, nutritious soil with a good water storage capacity. Care: The plant requires watering and nutrition regularly. Water generously, especially on hot days, but avoid water-logging. Weeding and loosening the surrounding soil from time to time will be rewarded by the plant producing a better harvest and flavour. After planting out, you may regularly provide your Broccoli with organic vegetable fertilizer until about two to three weeks before harvesting. During Winter: Kale can be cultivated as a biennial plant while the main harvest takes place in the second year. Starting from spring it can be harvested continuously. Bonsai: No Picture credits: Because of technical limitations links are shown as text. 18681-brassica-oleracea-seed-package-front-german.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18681-brassica-oleracea-cultivation-instruction-german.jpg - Frank Laue - © Saflax - saflax.de/copyright 18681-32-brassica-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18681-33-brassica-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18681-34-brassica-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18681-34-brassica-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18681-35-brassica-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18681-36-brassica-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright 18681-37-brassica-oleracea.jpg - About © : Contact SAFLAX - - saflax.de/copyright