A beautiful heirloom kale that is easy to grow, early, and productive. It is also cold hardy; the colder the weather, the more purple the leaves. The tender leaves taste great in a salad or cooked in soups and stir-fries.
According to the 1999 Garden Seed Inventory, Red Russian’s other names are ‘Ragged Jack’ and ‘Canadian Broccoli’. It is described as: “A rare strain with purple veination, red frilly leaves, wavy margins resemble an oak leaf, excellent flavour, attractive, very tender, 1885.”
However, Red Russian’s history is hard to track down — as the seed savers at Victory Seeds (USA) explain:
“As plant historians, we seek factual, documentary evidence before we publish a variety’s history. ‘Red Russian’ kale is one of those varieties whose history, to date, remains elusive. Although some seed sellers describe interesting and colorful “stories” about it dating to pre-1885 Canadian fur traders, we have not been able to locate supporting evidence.”
What we do know is that this beautiful oak leaf kale tastes great and is easy to grow. It is also a nutritional powerhouse. According to USDA data (FoodData Central), one cup (21 g) of raw kale provides you with 67% of the recommended dose of Vitamin K, 20% of Vitamin A and is high in Vitamin C.
Check out our link about ‘Powerhouse Leafy Greens’.
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How to Plant: Method 1: Start kale in the garden in spring, between mid-to-late May. Seed Depth: 5mm or ¼ inch; Seed Spacing: 4” then thin plants to 12-24” when seedlings are about 2”. Method 2: This kale is a Brassica napus variety, similar to two other leafy greens we offer – Groninger Blue and Dwarf Essex leafy greens– which means it can be planted as an “eat-all greens” variety following Carol Deppe’s method. The “eat-all greens” method: Scatter seeds 2” to 4” apart. Cover lightly with soil and keep moist until germination. That’s about it! Harvest leaves when plants are 1-2 feet tall.
