kale chips

Cabbage worms are chomping through our kale plants at lightning speed. There’s perhaps nothing more disheartening than arriving at the garden and seeing what was once a large, broad leaf, shorn off with only ragged bits and pieces hanging off each side of its stem. (Except maybe arriving at the garden and seeing all your seedlings scattered about, dead.)

I decided to harvest the few leaves that were still intact, knowing that if I didn’t, the worms would most surely get to them that very evening. (We’ve also been hitting the plants with fertilizer emulsion regularly, hoping they’ll outgrow the rate of the worms’ voracious appetites.)

(Holey kale … And these were the better leaves)

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough kale to make any sort of substantial dish. So, the next best thing: crackly, salty kale chips!

Roasted “chips” made out of a green superfood? Too intriguing not to attempt.

Recipes for kale chips abound on the Interwebs, but it’s so easy that having to follow a recipe is kind of unnecessary. How does one roast stuff? With a little oil, salt and heat. So, here’s the deal: Wash, dry and de-stem the leaves, tear into pieces, then toss with a little olive oil (just enough to coat) and sea salt. Arrange in a single layer on an oil-drizzled cookie sheet and pop into a warm oven, say, 180 or 200 degrees. Check every few minutes until they look crispy – about 10 minutes or so – being careful not to burn them. (We had a few burnt ones, and they were bitter.)

The kale chips have a salty, slightly briny flavor – a bit like roasted seaweed. They’re paper-thin, so there’s not much to bite or chew; they sort of dissolve in your mouth. Which makes them rather addicting. Not a bad way to eat a super-vegetable.

Now, for some nostalgia: The kale back in November. Aww.