Brassica Carinata “Garlic Kale, Ethiopian Mustard, Texel Greens”. Use young leaves for salads, and older ones for cooking. Easier and quicker growing than European Kale and nicer tasting as well as a lovely hint of garlic flavour. Excellent taste when stir-fried quickly. Leave one plant to flower and produce seeds and you will never have to buy seeds of this vegetable again. Easy cut and come again cropping. Sow seeds anytime and transplant when still small. White cabbage butterfly larvae will eat the leaves but prefer other brassicas so damage is minimal.
Harvesting:
Harvest baby leaves are required using scissors. If grown on, the outer leaves can be harvested and plants can be left to grow on. The plants mature in 60 to 90 days. If grown to maturity the whole plant can be cropped before seeds are formed.
In late summer, leave some plants to flower and produce seeds for next year. Dried and stored in cool conditions the seed will remain viable for three to four years. The seeds can also be crushed and used as a condiment.
Germination Directly, sow into a well-prepared seedbed 5mm deep, 30cm apart. Seeds germinate within 2 or three days, edible within 6 weeks