Kale
Kale has been very trendy with the hipster kids recently. This may be because it rhymes with more words than any other vegetable (you try rhyming aubergine). So every time you eat it you can break out your best rhyme. Here’s ours: hail, hail, the mighty kale, it’s so curly, it can never fail!
Nutrition
Kale is a leafy green vegetable and contains vitamins (K and C), minerals (manganese, calcium and iron) in addition to polyphenols and fibre.
Shopping Guide
Look out for kale that has fresh, crisp leaves and avoid those that are limp and yellow.
Storage
To store kale, just keep it dry and in the fridge for up to a week.
Serving Suggestions
To prep kale – if on the stalk break the leaves off, trim away the tough centre stalk, wash thoroughly and chop. If you find kale slightly bitter, try massaging it for a few minutes in some olive oil before cooking as this helps to release some of its bitter compounds. You can steam, boil or sauté you kale or if you like it crunchy try baking it with some salt and pepper to sprinkle into your salads.
Seasonality
Buying veg in season is not only great for the planet, it can be good for your wallet, too! Seasonal veg are often cheaper and frequently taste better, so can be a better time to try with a child as the often sweeter, riper taste is more enjoyable.
Coming In:
July
At Its Best:
August - March
Engage
Here are some of our favourite ways to engage kids with kale:
Arts & Crafts
Start simple with some non-food based engagement. This is especially helpful for a fussier child or those with sensitivities around food.
For kale, why not try making an edible jungle or forest scene using kale leaves for trees and other veg for details on a plate or tray? Or try drawing a close up kale leaf by observing it under a magnifying glass to get the veins, lines and leaves just right!
Science
Science allows for curiosity, play and hands-on experiments. It helps kids to become fascinated with veg – how it looks, reacts, smells, cooks and more. Finding fun and simple experiments to allow kids to play with their veg makes them curious about it and helps them approach it in a positive way.
Explore kale by investigating the leaves, veins, stems and colours of them with a magnifying glass. If you can, try buying both regular kale and “dinosaur kale” (cavolo nero). Can you see how cavolo nero got that nickname? What’s the texture and colour difference between the two types? How are they similar? Another fun science experiment is to get some kale, wash and dry it, strip the leaves from the stems and tear the leaves into pieces in a large bowl, then pour over some dressing or oil and lemon juice, and use you hands to “massage” the kale for about 5-10 mins, or until you feel the texture change and soften. Look at the kale before “massaging” and after – how has it changed? What do you think has happened? Does it taste different or feel different, too?
Sensory
Sensory exploration can be a wonderful introduction to physically interacting with veg. Turn it into a positive, pressure-free experience by starting off with the golden rules of “You don’t need to try and you don’t need to like.” Reassuring a child that, while they have a chance to taste a veg, they don’t have to, and are not expected to like it if they do, can make them more happy to engage with it.
Try exploring kale by comparing regular kale with cavolo nero (commonly called “dinosaur kale”). What does it look like? How does it feel? What colours can you see? Does it remind you of anything? Does it have a smell? Try biting through the leaves and stems separately, or snapping them by your ear if not up to trying them, and see if the leaves or stems sound crunchier.
Kids in the Kitchen
Children who help to prep and cook veg are more likely to eat it. If you feel your child is ready to help and could benefit from it, keep the stress and mess to a minimum by choosing one simple task for them to do as part of the prep, meaning they can be involved and feel like the recipe is in part ‘theirs’, but also not make the process too much longer or more complicated.
For a younger child, why not get them to wash the kale by separating out the leaves and giving them a good wash and dry? If they want to do more, can they help pull the leaves off the stems and tear into small pieces? Or try “massaging” the kale by drizzling the torn leaves in a bowl with some dressing or oil and lemon juice and scrunching with clean hands until it softens – it’s a great hands on activity for kids and makes kale much easier and nicer to eat!
For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to practise some essential knife skills using the claw grip to roughly chop the leaves. If they want to try helping you on the stove, they could pop torn leaves into a pan with some butter and garlic or soy sauce and a splash of water and cover the pan, checking every now and then to stir until it is soft and lovely!
DOWNLOADS:
Use our Kitchen Ninja chart and videos to find simple ways for kids to help in the kitchen.
Your Food
Find your go-to meals in our family favourites section and see what veggies work best with them.
Find out how to add more veg to your suppers here.
Recipes
Serving
The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it!
The first thing to do is remove the pressure. If the veg doesn’t get eaten, it’s not the end of the world. There will be other days, other dinners, other chances. Fun is key here – try not to worry about mess, perfect table manners, or playing with food. Instead, focus on making the process of getting the food to the plates, readying the table, and the actual eating relaxed.
The best principles for success here are the Three Rs (role modelling, rewarding, re-offering) which you can read about here.
But there is one more way you can serve for success, and that is giving your child a role. You don’t have to do this every time, just encourage them in their strengths through it when you can.
Here are some of our favourite ideas:
Design a menu
Come up with a silly name or story for a dish
Help with making a meal plan and choosing veg for dinners or snacks
Help to serve up the meal on dishes, lay the table or create a centrepiece to be involved in the physical ‘serving up’ process
The Wonderful World of Veg
Check out our vegepedia. When to buy in-season. How to store them to keep for longer. How to engage children with each veg, and simple ideas of how to prepare and cook them for maximum taste and minimum waste. Select a veg…