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Livescience_2013 07473.txt

#What Is Kale? Kale is a leafy green vegetable (Brassica oleracea) sometimes called borecole. It's related to cabbage broccoli collard greens and Brussels sprouts. Varieties of kale are grown all around the world in a number of different climates and the plant is able to grow well into the cooler winter months. Additionally the leaves of the kale plant freeze well and some sources claim the leaves taste sweeter if harvested after a frost. Kale has received a lot of attention in recent years for its powerhouse nutritional benefits making kale (along with blueberries spinach beans and certain other vegetables) one of the so-called superfoods. One cup of chopped kale contains 206 percent of the daily value of Vitamin a and 684 percent of Vitamin k It also contains almost as much calcium as milk more Vitamin c than an orange and is loaded with important minerals including copper potassium iron manganese and phosphorus. Kale is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and is known to contain cholesterol-lowering fiber and cancer-fighting carotenoids and flavonoids. During WORLD WAR II kale was recommended often for victory gardens because it is grown easily and filled with important nutrients that supplemented meals limited by wartime rationing. When the war was over however many families turned away from kale turned-off by its taste texture and association with wartime privation. Newer varieties of kale however are much better tasting that those commonly grown in the 1940s. Consumer should look for kale with firm dark green or purple leaves. Kale can keep for up to five days in a zipped plastic bag in a refrigerator. Some favorite ways to serve kale include adding it to soups egg dishes casseroles salads even as a pizza topping. Kale can be braised and tossed with walnuts and balsamic vinegar or tossed with pasta pine nuts and olive oil. Kale chips available in some stores can be made by cutting the leaves into bite-size pieces drizzling it Â with olive oil and salt then baking for 10 minutes in an oven. Follow Marc Lallanilla on Twitter and Google+.+Follow us@livescience Facebook & Google+.+Original article on Livescience v

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