Use it up · Vegetables

Kale

Have extra kale? Here’s how to choose, store and prep kale, plus 6 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Pick firm, deeply colored leaves with no wilting or yellow.

Best season: Cool seasons: fall through spring. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Fridge: 1 to 2 days for best quality, wrapped
Freezer: 10 to 12 months (blanch first)

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

Strip the leaves off the tough stems. Rub raw kale with dressing to soften it, or sauté, or bake into chips.

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: kale. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Kale. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	35 kcal	2%
Protein	2.9 g	6%
Total fat	1.5 g	2%
Saturated fat	0.2 g	1%
Total carbohydrate	4.4 g	2%
Dietary fiber	4.1 g	15%
Total sugars	1.0 g
Sodium	53 mg	2%
Calcium	254 mg	20%
Iron	1.6 mg	9%
Potassium	348 mg	7%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 168421 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

6 recipes, the ones that use the most kale first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.