Edible ornamental kale

Who knew you could actually eat ornamental kale?  I sure didn’t. For this week’s post, I was struggling to figure out what to make. Our gardens are looking a little sad and a little frost-bitten. When Elaine Johnson, our associate food editor, suggested I cook up some ornamental kale bordering our garden path, I jumped at the chance. Here’s the beauty I picked from the garden:

I chose to prepare the kale very simply:

Buttery ornamental kale

1 head ornamental kale, thoroughly washed and torn into pieces

Salt, to taste

About 1 tbsp. butter

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan (fill the pan about 3/4 full, as you would when cooking pasta). Add a generous amount of salt (any type will do). Add kale and stir to submerge (I used tongs because I find them handy for turning large amounts of greens).

2. Cook kale, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Pour kale into a colander to drain. Add butter to saucepan and return kale to pan. Stir to coat kale with butter and add more salt to taste. That’s it!

How’s that for a super-simple side dish?!

Here are some other great greens to try.