Uncle Bert’s Purple Kale

I originally came across this fantastic kale through some seeds I got from the Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library, and it instantly became me new favourite kale!

It’s a Russian type, so the leaves are flat and frilly, with an attractive blue-green colour and strong purple ribbing. Plants grow to a couple feet high and wide. It lasts all through the winter and can get really quite big and bushy in the spring, before it goes to flower. If you let it, you can then get a duel crop, picking off the shoots and buds before they form the
actual flowers – just like baby purple sprouting broccoli. Leave it to flower completely and he bees will love you! The leaves are sweet and nutty, so try them in a baby leaf salad…. or have you ever made raw kale pesto? Just whizz up some kale leaves, garlic, walnuts and grated parmesan with some olive oil, and a splash of lemon juice. Yummy superfood at it’s best!

Approx. 150 seeds

Botanical name: Brassica oleracea