It’s great to cook with seasonal vegetables.  At this time of year red cabbage, white cabbage, savoy cabbage, leeks, spring greens, carrots, cauliflower and KALE are all in season.

So why is Kale so good for us:

1. Firstly Kale grows best in a cool climate; exposure to frost even improves the flavour.  So its great to grow here in the UK

2. Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin C – 80g of Kale provides more than 100% of the daily requirement of Vitamin C – great for fighting those pesky colds that linger over us at this time of year.

3. Kale is very high in Beta Carotene – which the human body converts to Vitamin A – again 80g of Kale provides all the Vitamin A we need daily.

4. Kale is rich in Bioflavonoids, carotenoids and other cancer fighting compounds.

5. Kale contains high amounts of folate, calcium, iron and Vitamin B6.

6. Kale only contains 19 calories per 80g, yet it is very filling, making kale an ideal, highly nutritious food for those that are weight-conscious.

7. Kale contains more iron and calcium than almost any other vegetable and it’s high content of Vitamin C enhances the body’s ability to absorb these minerals – serving kale with a lemon dressing further boosts absorption of the iron and calcium.

The best way to prepare kale to preserve its rich stores of beta carotene and Vitamin C is to cook it quickly in minimal water; it can also be steamed, chopped and stir fried, or simmered until tender in broth to make a tasty soup.

It takes about 4 generous handfuls of kale to make a medium serving.

Click below to see some great recipes for kale.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/03/kale-recipes-salads-sausage-dinners.html

Have fun cooking (just watch out for the wind it may produce).