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  • Dazzling Blue Kale

Dazzling Blue Kale

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Beautiful new purple Lacinato kale. The leaves have classic lacinato shape, texture, and flavor, but the coloration is like a Russian Red kale--blue-green with a bright pink midrib and veining. More cold-hardy than other lacinatos. Who wouldn't want a purple dinosaur in their garden? Somewhat variable in leaf shape and plant height, which I find helpful for harvesting the size and type I want for a meal. An OSSI-pledged Open Source variety, bred by Hank Keogh. B. oleracea. 60 days for full-size plants. 80 seeds


The Open Source Seed Initiative exists so that breeders who originate new varieties can protect them from exploitation and patenting by corporations. It means that the breeder has freely given up her patent rights in order to keep the variety in the public domain forever. The OSSI pledge reads: "You have the freedom to use these OSSI-pledged seeds in any way you choose. In return, you pledge not to restrict others' use of these seeds or their derivatives, by patents or other means, and to include this pledge in any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives."

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About Kale and Collards:
Very cold-hardy winter standbys, whose flavor is sweetened by frost. Very easy to grow.
Like all brassicas, these like a soil with plenty of compost and some lime (pH 6.5 to 7.) Usually sown in trays or pots and transplanted when space opens up in the garden. Transplant after there are at least 6 leaves, and before they are pot-bound. Bury up to the base of the first leaves, firm well. If the weather is hot, dry, or windy, remove the bottom pair of leaves to minimize shock.

Siberian kales are extremely cold-hardy, surviving temperatures well below zero. Their flavor is best when sweetened by frost.
Collards are actually a non-heading, cabbage, with smooth, tender leaves and a mild flavor. They don't have to be used all at once like a head of cabbage; pick leaves as needed. They are a standby for meals all year. Many folks--like my mother--only survived the Great Depression because home-grown collards were available year-round. Traditionally served with bacon and a sprinkle of vinegar in the South. The Portuguese national dish is a stew of collards, sausage, and beans. I like them lightly cooked and served cold as a winter salad, too. 

Tree Collards are a unique perennial hardy in zones 8-10. It doesn't usually make seed. It has seldom been commercially available, instead gifted from neighbor to neighbor as a "passalong plant," primarily in African-American gardens. We are grateful to all those generations of gardeners who preserved it for us.


Seed-saving: Lacinato kale and collards are the same species as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi--Brassica oleracea. Siberian kales are Brassica napus, like rutabagas. Turnips and Asian greens are another species, Brassica rapa. Texel greens are Brassica carinata. All varieties within the same species will cross with each other.
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  • Home
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • Vegetable Seeds >
      • Arugula
      • Beans
      • Beets
      • Broccoli
      • Cabbage
      • Carrots & Roots
      • Chard
      • Corn
      • Cucumber
      • Eggplant
      • Fennel
      • Greens
      • Kale and Collards
      • Lettuce
      • Melons
      • Oil Crops
      • Okra
      • Open-Source Seeds (OSSI)
      • Onions and Leeks
      • Peas
      • Peppers
      • Spinach
      • Squash & Pumpkins
      • Tomatoes
      • Turnips and Rutabagas
    • Perennial Vegetables >
      • About Perennial Vegetables
    • New for 2021
    • Cover Crops >
      • Cover Crop Mixes
      • Cover Crops that are Food Crops
      • Decorative Cover Crops
    • Grains >
      • Heirloom Wheat Barley Oats & Rye
      • Gluten-Free Grains
    • Flowers
    • Herb Seeds >
      • Medicinal and Historic Herbs
      • Culinary Herbs (and teas)
    • Seed Collections
    • Companion Plants
    • Fall Vegetables
    • Herbs and Flowers for Fall
    • Plant for Summer
    • Plant for Spring
    • Start these Indoors
  • Recipes
    • Tomato Recipes
    • Preserving and Fermenting
  • Our Story
  • Blog
  • HOW-TO