Kale: the vegetable that helped defeat Hitler.

As the farm's members may be noticing, kale is one of the staple vegetables of the share. I asked Michael about this the other day, and he explained he likes kale because it's easy to grow and a reliable producer throughout the season. What's more, due to a clerical error in the greenhouse, for which I have to be responsible, we planted more than we intended. So our shareholders can expect to see a lot of kale this season.

This is a good thing. Really, it is.

Kale is a member of the brassica family, which includes plants such as brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. In fact, it is considered to be the closest relative to wild cabbage. It has been cultivated for over two thousand years and was grown in the gardens of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Up through the end of the Middle Ages, it was one of the most common vegetables in Europe.

Kale is also nutrient dense. It contains high levels of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. In addition, it is relatively high in dietary fiber and calcium. Kale's high nutritional value made it a staple vegetable in British victory gardens during World War II. "Those raised on a wartime diet," one study suggests, "were considerably healthier and fitter than their modern-day counterparts."

To store kale, wrap it in a paper towel, place it in a loosely sealed plastic bag, and put it in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. Stored this way, kale should keep well up to a week. For longer-term storage, it can be blanched and frozen. (You can find a helpful tutorial, with pictures, here.)

How to eat it? I tell people to memorize this formula: kale + potatoes + pig = deliciousness. This formula is very traditional, and variations include the Irish colcannon, the Portuguese caldo verde, and, my personal favorite, the Dutch stamppot.