Here's a place to share all that info with each other! Each week I'll post a new veggie along with information on nutritional value, how to cook it, and at least one recipe using that veggie. Then we can all add on to the thread with our experiences with that veggie, recipes we like, and more! When the week is up, I'll transfer the thread to the FAQ and the recipes to the recipe forum. Remember, if you add a recipe, try to include at least the number of servings and the nutritional information, if you can.
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This Week's Veggie is: Kale!
Quote:
About Kale: The leafy green vegetable known as kale, borecole, or cow cabbage is a non-head-forming member of the cabbage family and one of the first cabbages to be cultivated. Its dark green, ruffled leaves are high in vitamin C and calcium and very low in calories. It thrives in cold climates; indeed it is said that frost increases its sweetness. Collards belong to the same family but have smooth, flat leaves. From Cooking A to Z by the California Culinary Academy
We have two house rabbits who adore kale. I remember thinking once, as I tore it up for their dinner, that I couldn't imagine ever eating this thick green. Years later, looking for something new on SBD to add to my veggie armory, I tried a soup recipe with kale. I was pleasantly surprised not only that it didn't taste bad but also at how much I actually liked it! About Kale: The leafy green vegetable known as kale, borecole, or cow cabbage is a non-head-forming member of the cabbage family and one of the first cabbages to be cultivated. Its dark green, ruffled leaves are high in vitamin C and calcium and very low in calories. It thrives in cold climates; indeed it is said that frost increases its sweetness. Collards belong to the same family but have smooth, flat leaves. From Cooking A to Z by the California Culinary Academy
I tried the recipe at the end of this post a couple weeks later and that secured my everlasting love for kale. It's so good for you, so filling, pretty cheap, and easy to cook. How can you beat it?
Kale is traditionally a winter veggie, but it's pretty unique so I thought I'd share this one in hopes that it's something you might not have considered before. It's definitely worth a try! 
Quote:
Use: Because it thrives throughout cold Scottish winters, kale has long been an almost daily staple in the Scottish diet. Scotch [not my misnaming!] cooks use it in colcannon (mashed potatoes with kale) and in lamb and barley soup. Portuguese cooks make a simple potato and kale soup called caldo verde. In the southern United States, kale is boiled with ham bone or salt pork, sometimes in conjunction with collards.
Availability: Fresh kale is sold fall through spring. Frozen kale is carried by many supermarkets. [our supermarket carries kale year-round]
Selection: The best kale has crisp dark leaves. Avoid bunches with limp, wilted, or yellowed leaves.
Storage: It will stay fresh for several days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper. [In my experience, kale stays fresh in this way for at least a week, often two...]
Preparation: Wash well. Discard any limp or discolored leaves. Cut away tough stems. Shred, chop, or cook whole (cut large leaves in half).
Cooking: Boiling or steaming are preferred methods. [when not using it in soup, I cook kale either in a pan or using the microwave to preserve as many nutrients as possible...see Does Microwave Cooking Destroy Nutrients in Vegetables? for more info on this]
From Cooking A to Z by the California Culinary Academy
More information on Kale:Use: Because it thrives throughout cold Scottish winters, kale has long been an almost daily staple in the Scottish diet. Scotch [not my misnaming!] cooks use it in colcannon (mashed potatoes with kale) and in lamb and barley soup. Portuguese cooks make a simple potato and kale soup called caldo verde. In the southern United States, kale is boiled with ham bone or salt pork, sometimes in conjunction with collards.
Availability: Fresh kale is sold fall through spring. Frozen kale is carried by many supermarkets. [our supermarket carries kale year-round]
Selection: The best kale has crisp dark leaves. Avoid bunches with limp, wilted, or yellowed leaves.
Storage: It will stay fresh for several days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper. [In my experience, kale stays fresh in this way for at least a week, often two...]
Preparation: Wash well. Discard any limp or discolored leaves. Cut away tough stems. Shred, chop, or cook whole (cut large leaves in half).
Cooking: Boiling or steaming are preferred methods. [when not using it in soup, I cook kale either in a pan or using the microwave to preserve as many nutrients as possible...see Does Microwave Cooking Destroy Nutrients in Vegetables? for more info on this]
From Cooking A to Z by the California Culinary Academy
Produce Oasis' page on Kale recipes link doesn't appear to work, but other links below info are useful and interesting, but brief.
PVGA page on Kale (basic info)
Nut'l information on Kale (scroll down for info...check out the amount of vit. A!)
Information on what makes Kale a good 'cancer fighter' (scroll down to the paragraph with the word "Kale" in bold)
Other information on Veggies:
Better Homes and Gardens Slide Show on using spring vegetables, including recipes and info on veggies
FAQ for the 5-a-day program on Fruits and Veggies
Tips on Fruits and Veggies from the CDC
Vegetables: How to cook, serve, and store these healthy foods from Mayo Clinic
Recipe:
Here's a great recipe for kale...just use kale for the part that says "greens" :
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53147
and find the recipes easy to make and very yummy 
) We've made this a few times and even my 10 and 13 year old girls find it tasty.
Maybe one day I'll get the courage to buy some. Maybe it was because it was such a huge amount in the bunch. I could see myself eating it for a week or more and what if I didn't like it? Then I'd be stuck. (Who else won't throw away food until it has aged gracefully in the fridge a few days? 
Promise to do leeks next week. They are easy to work with...cut off the very top of the leek where the green is hard and bruised (like half an inch off the top). Then, slice the whole thing thinly down to the base, throwing away the end with the roots. Put the cut pieces in a salad spinner and rinse under cold water, then spin to remove sand, grit, and dirt. Alternatively, you can try washing it by hand...but it's hard to get all the sand out that way. 
Try putting it in soup...the leaves wilt down (like spinach) and before you know it, the whole bunch is gone! 