Seasonal Vegetables – Kale

KALE, rich in vitamins and high in fiber, is currently in season. There are two types of kale, curly kale and flat kale. While both are known to be highly infested and notoriously difficult to clean, curly kale is especially difficult and will often require multiple washes.

OK Kosher recommends the following procedure to ensure bug free kale.

1. CUT LEAVES from stem and soak in water with Veggie Wash/liquid soap for 5 minutes. Rub each leaf between your fingers while it is soaking in the soapy water.
2. REMOVE kale with both hands (holding loosely) in small bunches and rinse under running water.
3. SOAK AND AGITATE kale again in clean water without soap for about 3 minutes.
4. REMOVE THE LEAVES and pour the water through a mesh cloth and check the cloth with a strong overhead light or lightbox. If insects are found repeat the process until the cloth is insect-free.

Very Important: Unlike lettuce, which can also be checked (in small quantities) by visually inspecting each leaf, kale should not be checked in this way. Given the number of grooves and folds in kale, it is very difficult to properly conduct a visual inspection. Therefore, OK Kosher strongly recommends checking only in the manner described above (soaking it in water and checking the water by filtering it through a mesh cloth).