Availability: All Year Around
What to look out for
When buying kale, try to for the ones which present a firm and crisp structure with deep green colours. The stems of the kale should be moist and strong.
Try to avoid the ones that express discolouration, wilting and mushiness. Also, bad kale bunches will contain odour and mould spots.
Storage
Kale bunches can be stored into 2 different ways:
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- Fridge: In order to store the vegetable in the fridge, the kale must be place unwashed inside a zip-top bag or a glass container with paper towels to absorb the extra humidity. Then placed inside the coldest drawer of the fridge. The vegetable will last up to seven day in this way.
- Freezer: To store the vegetable in the freezer, first it must be blanched, and dried up completely. Once these two first steps are done, spread the kale into a baking sheet with parchment paper and place it on the freezer for at least 3 hours. Then remove the tray from freezer, transfer the kale to a container and place it back into the freezer. The vegetable will last up to 6 months.
Benefits
Nutritional Density
Kale is one of the most nutritional dense foods on the planet while being extremely low in calories. The consumption of Kale is strongly associate with drastically increasing the amount of nutrients in the body.
Eyes Protection
There are two nutrients in Kale that will provide a degree of protection in our eyes, in other words, Lutein and Zeaxanthinare linked to minimise the risks of macular degeneration and cataracts.
May Lower Cancer Risk
Some studies have indicated that the consumption of cruciferous vegetables may reduce the risks of certain types of cancer cells to develop. One compound that could be contributing to this reduction is Sulforaphane, since it may hinder the formation of cancer at a molecular level.
Healthy Heart Promotion
One particular study showed that the consumption of kale can increase HDL cholesterol (”good”) and decrease the LDL cholesterol (”bad”), therefore reducing the overall risks of heart related diseases.
Overall Health Improvements
Kale is not only nutritional dense, but it is also antioxidants dense. Quercetin and Kaempferol are two important antioxidants found in abundance in Kale, and these compounds have several benefits effects on the body.