Crambe tataria

TARTAR KALE

Crambe tataria
TARTAR KALE

Crambe tataria is a delicious and unusual edible, as well as a decorative garden plant.
Though treasured in Eastern Europe this is a rare and little known edible in Australia.
But we hope to remedy that!!!

Delicious edible delicacy

All parts of the pretty Tartar Kale are considered a culinary delicacy, particularly in their native Romania and Hungary.
So the whole plant is edible (but don’t eat it all at once, as this is a perennial plant and it will feed you over many seasons).

All parts of the plant are a tasty crop

Tartar Kale also has unique flavours, with the leaves, stems and flower heads tasting like spicy Spinach or Cabbage, and the parsnip like white roots tasting a little like a superior cross between parsnip and horseradish.

Easy to cook

Crambe tataria is easy to use in the kitchen, being versatile and quite delicious.
So eat the young leaves and stems raw in salads; or boiled, baked and steamed like Asparagus spears or Spinach.
And cook the leaves like Spinach or Cabbage and spice with Garlic and herbs.
Or grate the roots raw into salads, chop for stir-fries, or pickle and mince as a zesty condiment like Horseradish.

Even the fragrant flowers are edible

Even the pretty sprays of fragrant white flowers are eaten fresh in salads. cooked like Broccoli florets, or flash fried.
While the delicious seed pods are served like sugar-snap peas.

Delectable treat with traditional forcing and blanching

In traditional European vegetable gardens the stems and leafs are also blanched and forced, like Celery  or Asparagus plants.
By wrapping the stems in covering, or putting a terracotta pot or pipe over them to force them towards the light and turn pale.
These pale harvests are considered especially delectable, just as White Asparagus is.

Decorative garden feature

Crambe tataria forms a wavy mound of scalloped and indented leaves.
Making a very decorative, low foliage mound of broad leaves in the garden or veggie patch.

Sweetly fragrant huge heads of tiny white blossoms

Then in summer a large head of sweetly fragrant, creamy white flowers billows up.
So the summer air is scented with honey, rather like the sweet scent of Alyssum (Sweet Alice), but on a giant scale.
So it is perfectly pretty enough for the flower garden (and you can sneakily harvest as you wish).
Or you can proudly grow it in the veggie patch as a decorative delicacy.

Easy to grow

Crambe tataria is hardy, adaptable, and easy to grow, just as it is so easy to eat.
Plant it in Full Sun to a little Shade.
Where it can tolerate poor soils if necessary, although it performs and produces brilliantly in fertile, well prepared soil such as in the veggie patch.
It is also able to get along on limited water and is drought resistant once established, though again it really thrives and produces with just average garden watering.

Thrives in pot or garden

Crambe tataria particularly likes lime and well drained conditions, and can be grown in a pot if necessary (the huge, yummy roots will rot in poorly drained winter soils).
Plus it is very frost hardy and can withstand frosts down to around -20C.

Hardy perennial clump

Crambe tatarica forms a long lived, perennial clump, and will increase in size and productivity each year.
Grows to approx. 80cm. to 1m. High when in summer flower x 75cm. Wide with large indented, wavy leaves.
It dies down in winter like Asparagus, so you can harvest the tender new shoots from the crowns in spring. And these are considered a great delicacy, and even more so when blanched and forced.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY
Suitable for beginners & gardening with kids

Seeds for Crambe tataria can be sown at any time indoors in punnets when temperatures are suitable / or sown directly into the garden in spring.

Seeds should be stored in the fridge (not freezer) if you are not sowing immediately.
Place the packet in a clip lock bag and seal before storing in the fridge to keep them fresh until you are ready to sow.

Sow indoors for early plants: First soak the seeds in warm (not boiling) water overnight.
Then next day sow the seeds in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.

Now gently pat the surface of the mix to ensure the seeds have good contact with the mix.
And cover the seeds with approx. 2cm. of sieved mix / fine grit.

Then thoroughly moisten the mix by standing the sown punnet in a shallow water bath and allowing the water to percolate through from below, until the surface is moist.

Now wrap the moist, sown punnet in cling-wrap or a plastic bag, and place in the fridge (not freezer) for 4-6 weeks.
This “pretend winter” period of chilling will greatly enhance the seed germination.
Then after 4-6 weeks, remove the punnet from the fridge, unwrap, and place the punnet in a warm, well lit position (not in any direct sunlight).

Keep the seed punnet in good light

Temperatures around 15C are ideal for rapid and optimum germination after the period of chilling.
So you can use a heat mat to maintain temperature if you have one, but it is not essential as these seeds are happy in a warm and well-lit location.
A sheltered window sill or warm corner is also fine as these seeds also appreciate plenty of light to sprout.

Then continue to keep consistently moist by misting from a spray water bottle as required.
Covering the punnet with a clear plastic cover will help maintain consistent moisture and prevent drying out.

Seedlings may begin emerging as soon as 3 weeks.
However they often stagger their germination – so some can be quite slow and some may take longer.

And it is a good idea to prick any sprouted seedlings out into pots as soon as possible.
They will grow quickly once sprouted they will grow quickly.
So can become leggy if they are left too long.
But do not discard the punnet, more are sure to come later.

Seed count: 5 large seeds per pack (Seed of this delicious delicacy is scarce).

Growing Tip: Be prepared to defend your Sea Kale clumps against slugs and snails in the spring as the tender new shoots are emerging. We want them to eat, not feed the snails.

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