Curly Kale Delivery or Pickup

When you're looking for ultra-nutritious greens, consider eating curly kale. Kale is a leafy green vegetable belonging to the Brassicaceae family, along with mustard, cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, and cauliflower. Curly kale and other kale varieties are descendants of wild cabbage, and to this day, there are many varieties of kale, including those with flat leaves, curly leaves, and dimpled leaves. Kale comes in colors ranging from blue-green to bright red, and they all have leaves attached to a tough stem. Other common types of commercial kale include Lacinato kale, dinosaur or Tuscan kale, and red Russian kale. They all have similar nutritional values and flavor profiles with subtle differences.

Curly kale tends to be the most tender of the kale family, especially when the leaves are young. Curly kale also makes a beautiful garnish for vegetable platters with its frilly leaves and bright blue-green coloration. All kale has an earthy, bitter flavor that many find to be an acquired taste. However, when cooked properly, kale can have a sweet, nutty flavor profile. It's important to choose young curly kale leaves that are tender and juicy. Young leaves have less bitterness than tough older leaves.

People have been eating kale, including curly kale, for centuries. Because of its widespread distribution, it's hard to say exactly where kale originated from, but people in ancient Rome and Greece wrote about kale in their diaries. By the Middle Ages, curly kale spread throughout Eastern Europe and Asia as a major food source. It's thought that early English settlers brought curly kale to North America.

All kale, including curly kale, is a versatile vegetable that you can add to stir-fries, saute with garlic, toss into soups, or juice with other vegetables for a healthy green drink. When the leaves are young and tender, add them to salads for an earthy flavor.

Look for curly kale bunches or leaves that have blue-green leaves without any yellowing to them. The leaves should be firm, and the stalks free from brown spots. Avoid curly kale that has wilted, yellow leaves, has a strong, pungent odor, or has mushy, moldy leaves. When you pick up a bunch of curly kale, it should have an earthy smell with nutty notes.

When you bring curly kale home, store it in perforated plastic bags, unwashed for up to five days. When you're ready to cook your curly kale, wash the dirt off the leaves. Trim the leaves off the stem, and discard the tough stalk. Once you cook the curly kale, you can keep it in the refrigerator's crisper drawer for about two to three days.

It's easy to freeze curly kale for futures use. Cut the leaves away from the stem, rough chop the leaves, and blanch them in boiling water for about three minutes. Rinse the blanched curly leaf kale leaves in cold water, air-dry them, and place the leaves in plastic freezer bags. Keep the leaves in the freezer for up to six months.

When you're craving curly kale for your next meal, save time and make your life a little easier by ordering this nutritious leafy green via Instacart. Simply use the Instacart app to place your order for curly kale, and an Instacart shopper will pick out fresh curly kale and deliver it to you the same day!