Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Ornamental kale


Many varieties of kale are referred to as "flowering kales" and are grown mainly for their ornamental leaves, which are brilliant white, red, pink, lavender, blue or violet in the interior or the rosette. Most plants sold as "ornamental cabbage" are in fact kales. Ornamental kale is as edible as any other variety, provided it has not been treated with pesticides or other harmful chemicals.
The Kailyard school of Scottish writers, which included J. M. Barrie (creator of Peter Pan), consisted of authors who wrote about traditional rural Scottish life (kailyard = kale field). In Cuthbertson's quaint book 'Autumn in Kyle and the charm of Cunninghame' he recalls that Kilmaurs in East Ayrshire, was famous for its kale which was an important foodstuff. A story is told of how a neighbouring village offered to pay a generous price for some kale seeds, an offer too good to turn down. The cunning locals agreed; however a gentle roasting on a shovel over a coal fire ensured that the seeds never germinated
info found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale

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