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Post by hortusbrambonii on Mar 19, 2013 16:01:01 GMT -5
Anyone ever heard of this Kale? I received some seeds of it from Belle Epoque Meisse (http://www.belleepoquemeise.be/attachments/article/10/3...2013-Gratis%20zaad%20-Semences%20gratuites-II.pdf in dutch) and it should be a rare Wallonian heirloom, eaten like sea-kale in winter/spring.
The description says translated something like:
"Loose leaf-kale with soft yellow-ish leaves and white stems. This 'Brocali' or even the 'Asparagus of Wallonia' is a kale of unknown origin, grown in Wallonia since long. Special about this one is that shoots are harvested already during winter and early spring. Prepared like seakale."
The pictures look like a primitive kale quite close to wild cabbages, with regular green leaves, so I suppose to get yellowish leaves and white stems it should get blanched like a sea-kale?
Anyone knows anything about kales that get blanched?
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bertiefox
gardener
There's always tomorrow!
Posts: 236
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Post by bertiefox on Mar 21, 2013 12:22:09 GMT -5
Looks interesting as there is a 'kale festival' I see with this particular brassica. On the bits I looked at it says it's a curly kale (chou frisé). What makes it distinctive to ordinary curly kales or something like Chou d'Aubenton? Is it a perennial?
"Special about this one is that shoots are harvested already during winter and early spring"
Why's that special, as surely that's the season of harvest for almost all kales?
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Mar 21, 2013 12:58:47 GMT -5
I have no idea what's so special about it, except for it being rare, and having a festival being named after it. I have not found anything about it being perennial, and it looks like a primitive kale close to wild cabbage-types. I just chose it for its rareness.
The time of year seems quite appropriate for kales in this part of the world indeed.
What is special is the description of 'eaten like seakale' together with 'soft yellow-ish leaves and white stems' for a regular green kale, and the comparison of the kale with asparagus. All these seems to refer to blanching of the plant, something I don't know about in kales.
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Post by raymondo on Mar 21, 2013 17:37:55 GMT -5
There's even a web site dedicated to this kale - Les Amis du Chou de JalhayPerhaps the wilder, early kales were blanched to make them more palatable. Even modern kales can have strong flavours. Whatever the case may be, it sounds like an interesting kale. |
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Mar 22, 2013 9:42:12 GMT -5
I'll try to grow them and to blanch them this winter. Then I'll see if it has more qualities than rareness and having a festival named after it...
(if anyone wants some seed, PM me)
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Apr 2, 2013 2:35:14 GMT -5
trixtrax: I'll PM you www.brownenvelopeseeds.com/category-s/1833.htmAbout the 'chou the jalhay' kale, it is probably close to what brown envelope seeds sells as 'asparagus kale' (in french they also do call it 'Wallonian Asparagus'), it looks like a similar primitive kale, and it's eaten in the same way: "A heritage kale variety that produces flat kale leaves throughout the winter. In spring the young shoots can be blanched and eaten like asparagus." But googling it I think asparagus kales are quite rare too...
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