For a long time now we’ve been great fans of the black Tuscan kale Cavalo nero or nero di Toscana as it’s also known. With its dark glaucous leaves arching like heraldic plumes it easily earns a place in the Genus vegetable plot, if only with looks alone. Its hardiness, flavour, and versatiity also make it a winner in our kitchen whether used as a traditional green vegetable or blitzed into a smooth garlicy pesto with our best olive oil and sunflower seeds.
We grow it every year, but a contender is on the horizon; Kale ‘Emerald ice’ is a beautiful looking plant that we’ve grown for the first time this year and it scores ten out of ten on looks (see picture). Its versatility in the kitchen is yet to be tested but until then we’ll just gaze at it longingly every time we pass by.
Not wanting to be outdone our other brassicas are also doing well; Romanesco cauliflower, purple sprouting ‘Rudolph’, Cabbage ‘January King' and the F1 sprout ‘Brodie’ are all thriving under their protective tents of fine enviromesh. A catalogue of disasters meant all our brassicas failed last year so it’s nice to feel we’re back in the saddle growing both old and new varieties that wil take us right through into 2023. They're such good value.