Cabbage, Carrot and Purple Kale Latkes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you eat raw purple kale? ›

Yes, you can eat purple kale raw. In fact, purple kale is often enjoyed in salads due to its vibrant color and nutritional value. However, raw kale can be slightly tough and bitter, so consider massaging the leaves or marinating them in lemon juice or a dressing to tenderize it and enhance the flavor.

Again, you can basically substitute purple kale into any recipe that calls for some kind of kale. Just keep in mind that the flavor is a little more robust than the more familiar green kale.

Scarlet kale can grow up to 3 feet (91 cm) tall. You can eat its young, tender leaves raw in salads or cook its mature leaves to add to soups or grain dishes.

People who may need to avoid or limit kale intake are those who form oxalate-containing kidney stones or take the blood thinners Coumadin or warfarin. Be sure to check with your health care professional or dietitian if you have questions.

Raw kale may be high in goitrin

Kale, along with other cruciferous vegetables, contains a high amount of goitrogens, which are compounds that can interfere with thyroid function ( 8 ). Specifically, raw kale contains a type of goitrogen called goitrins.

Cutting the stems crossways shortens the fibres, much as with a tough steak, making them perfectly edible and preventing waste. Cut this way, the stems can be cooked in the same way as the rest of the leaf: sauteed, boiled or steamed.

Turns out purple kale is even better than the green variety because it contains anthocyanins which are responsible for the purple colour (the same nutrient that blueberries and cranberries contain), which have even more powerful antioxidant properties.

Redbor Kale

Its mass of well-curled reddish leaves with deep purple veins turns a solid, deep violet in cool weather, DeJohn says. Redbor is a great plant for an ornamental garden, where you occasionally pluck off few leaves to use as edible plate decor. Try Redbor in our I Am Giving Marinated Kale Salad recipe.

Kale is fibrous and can be difficult to munch compared to other greens like romaine lettuce or spinach. The rubbing, kneading motion helps to tenderize the veg and make it easier to chew and digest. Try this for raw kale you are going to be serving or eating right away.

Nearly every recipe tells you to remove stems and discard, but kale stems are totally edible. Not only are they edible, they can be downright delicious when done right!

What kind of kale can you eat raw? ›

Lacinato (aka dinosaur or Tuscan) kale is the best type of kale to eat raw. It is sweeter, more tender, and easier to thinly slice than other varieties.

Kale is a nutrient-dense vegetable that offers benefits whether it's eaten raw or cooked. However, oxalates in kale could interfere with calcium absorption and cause kidney stones in some people.

As noted above, ornamental cabbage and kale are edible. To reduce their bitter taste, boil them, discard the water, then either boil them again or sauté them in olive oil prior to serving.

If you have been wondering whether or not flowering kale is edible, the answer is: “Yes.” But is it tasty? I don't know since I've never nibbled a leaf from any of those ornamental plantings I've seen.