Ok, so kale isn’t one of those vegetables that makes you salivate with excitement, but it’s worth a second look for the following reasons.  It’s a nutritional powerhouse, being high in anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and rich in vitamins K, A and C.  It’s also a hardy wonder crop that is easy to grow and will churn out leaves right through the worst of the winter.  The key to making it delicious is to use plenty of seasoning, oil and garlic in the cooking.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg kale
• Salt n’ peppa
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves peeled and sliced

Remove the stalks from the kale and boil in lots of salted water for 10 minutes.  Drain well. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the garlic gently until brown.  Add the kale and season generously – cook for five minutes.  Serve on sourdough or focaccia toast and drizzle with olive oil.

Tip of the Month – Lime

Most vegetables prefer to grow in a slightly acid soil with the exception of brassicas which prefer alkaline conditions.  Adding compost/manure to soil to improve fertility each year, eventually makes the soil too acidic for most vegetables and particularly for the brassicas.  Traditionally therefore GIYers add lime in the spring to the beds where they will plant their brassicas to reduce acidity.  Never add manure/compost at the same time as lime, as they react badly together. How much lime to add depends on the type of soil and it's pH value (buy a pH testing kit in any garden centre), but typically 1lb per square yard.