Baby Kailan

One of the vegetables that I love is the baby Kailan or English name: Kale (biological name Brassica Olecerea) which is sweeter and tastier in my opinion than the other types of Kailan.  It is highly nutritious with powerful anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.  It is also very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin and reasonably rich in calcium.  Following my maxim, that I only plant the vegetables that I enjoy, this is one of the vegetables that I continuously plant.  This vegetable can be cooked in so many ways – kalian with salted fish, kalian with garlic, put in fried rice and fried vermicelli, stir-fried with bean curd and anchovies – the list is limited by one’s imagination.

Putting the greenhouse to good use, I plant a few rows of this vegetable, in stages, trying to keep a constant supply.  To start with, I have my “tools of the trade” – my reliable cangkul, my small spade, my bucket of compost, and of course my weeding basket.  To me, soil preparation is key.  Creating a bed free of weeds and high in organic content, this will help ensure that the plants can thrive and the moisture content is good.  I enjoy running my fingers through the soil, breaking it up and removing any stones or remaining weeds.   I create beds of about 1 ft. wide and seed two columns.

It takes 2-3 days for the seeds to sprout.  It is essential keep the soil moist but not soggy so that the plants can assimilate the necessary nutrient for its growth.  Having good soil also invites weeds so weeding is one of my favorite activities – a time for me to reflect and plan, relaxing times – in surrounding rich with oxygen content.  Once a week, I will turn the top soil and sprinkle my organic fertilizer or more compost or a mixture of both.

I water as necessary, sometimes once a day sometimes twice a day – depending on the weather and the moisture in the soil.  In this instance, I am lucky that my water supply is from a natural, uncontaminated source so no “funny” things will be introduced to the plant.  My aim is to grow these vegetables as naturally as possible hence one of the reason why I do not do hydrophonics vegetables even though I have a good water supply.

The vegetables are ready to be harvested about 4 weeks after seeding.  The harvesting needs to be done carefully as the stems are easy to break.  The leaves can get to be quite large measuring about 10cm long and width of about 6 cm so I wonder, why are they called baby kalian?  I harvest them either early morning while the morning dew is still present or in the early evening.  It helps them from wilting.

For my own consumption, I will harvest just before cooking – after all why not take advantage of being able to have FRESH vegetables.  There is no bitter taste to this variety and I like to have it simply, quick stir-fry with garlic.  So, to all lovers of leafy vegetables, try this variety of kalian as opposed to the other and you may be surprised by the taste J.