Page 39 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2020

Couve Tronchuda or
Portuguese Kale
RICHARD BAILEY
This article is from the days when Richard edited the bulletin but I felt it is still of interest and relevance today especially as unusual vegetables are coming to the fore now.
When visiting Lisbon recently one of many things that impressed me was the huge Portuguese cabbage that appeared in shops and gardens.
A monster amongst cabbages, at
least amongst those grown for human consumption, individual specimens in gardens were often three feet (90cm) across standing almost as high - and this without any special cultivation being apparent. My Portuguese being more or less limited to “vinho de casa tinto, por favor”. I left serious investigation of how to grow and use this giant until I got home.
Some effort was needed to find any reference to the plant at all in the books I had available. However, it seems that, in Britain, seed should be sown in heat during February or March and the plants set out, after hardening off, three feet (90cm) each way as soon as possible after the last hard frosts. Or alternatively smaller plants can be grown by sowing at stations two feet (60cm) apart in April. Both methods will produce heads for cutting in October, although rich soil is needed for really spectacular crops.
Couve tronchuda is used in two ways. The large leaves below the heart have thick ribs which can be cooked and used like seakale. More importantly, at least in Portugal, the leaves, both those on the stem and the
heart itself, are used to produce Caldo Verde (green soup), a potato and cabbage soup very extensively served. For this the cabbage is shredded incredibly finely so that the threads are almost like cotton.
ln the books mentioning the plant opinions are divided on its value - with a small majority suggesting that it is not worth the space it occupies. Nonetheless Caldo Verde, which could be made with any type of green cabbage or kale, is a very good soup.
One author discussing the plant said that he had heard that it is “resistant to club root and can be planted without fear in land affected with this disease”. However, he admits he has no personal knowledge of this. Nonetheless this is a comment which might be worth investigation.
Caldo Verde - Peel and boil four medium- sized potatoes, three cloves of garlic and a small onion in 2 pints of water. Drain, saving the water, mash them all and sieve into the water in which they were boiled. Add Very finely shredded cabbage, salt and pepper to taste and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Boil for three minutes and serve.
over the name of this plant especially if searched for on the internet, this is not helped by the use of different common names in various countries. When checking in one of my fairly authoritve books it occurs under two names:
Portuguese Kale – Brassica oleracea Variety acephala
Described as an erect leafy biennial and called couve forrageira in Portugal. The various kales are thought to have originated during the early middle ages in the western parts of Europe along the Atlantic and Mediterranean area (Portugal and southern Spain). It is grown as a biennial crop from seed and the leaves repeatedly harvested. It is traditionally used in soups or can be used like cabbage heads.
Brassica oleracea Variety sabillica called couve tronchuda in Portugal. This is a short- lived perennial and can grow up to 2-metre- tall with white flowers. The leaves are broad oblong with crispy edges typical of kales. There is also a Brassica oleracea Variety costata which is called Portuguese Kale and couve trodchuda, this has thick white fleshy ribs on the lower side of the leaves.
Various forms of these kales have been cultivated since Roman and Greek times, but the modern forms can be traced back to the Middle Ages. They are easily grown from seeds and the lower leaves are picked as required, the lower stems becoming bare with time. After a few years they become unproductive and are replaced with fresh plants. Ed.
There seems to be quite a bit of confusion
Kale/Cabbage, Couve Tronchuda (Portuguese Perennial Kale) Portuguese Kale (Brassica pekinensis), Brassica oleracea var tronchuda - (1852 - Suttons catalogue) a rare cabbage relative producing a stout
2 ft (60cm) tall stem, with broad,
wavy, blue-green leaves along stem like Kales, but its loose-leaf leaves
are more in style & colour with outer leaves of a flathead Cabbage & fleshier than Kale, yet with a thick blade & heavy veins or crunchy leaf stalks are tender enough to be easily edible -
like Cabbage. Its sweet flavour falls between Russian Kale & Cabbage, with some of the body of kale & less
of mustard or sulphur often found in Cabbage (Short lived perennial - 2
to 3 yrs.) Can be eaten as part of a Collards Green. This description is from Pennard Plants who have the seed for sale and it was also on a number of sites on the internet.
Letter...
The following letter was sent to one of my colleagues back in the summer and I thought it may be of interest to members. It raises some interesting points and concerns.
From Thomas Etty Esq
Good morning,
If, as now seems, possible the UK leaves the EU without a trade deal, the issue of which vegetable seed varieties may legally be sold here comes to the fore.
At present there is a UK national list of seeds varieties which can be sold, and an over-arching EU list which covers all varieties offered across the community. Accordingly, if a variety is on either of these lists, it can currently be legally sold. In the event of there being no trade deal, we are likely to be left with just those varieties on the UK list, which will severely limit the number of varieties that can be offered.
Mr Etty understands that it should
be possible to register varieties for amateur use (i.e. home gardeners) at
an individual one-off fee of £100.00, it
is his intention, if required, to register a minimum of 30 varieties, and it his hope and belief that many other seed houses, both large and small, will follow suit.
He is proposing to work in unison with his colleagues in the industry to ensure that varieties are only registered once thus avoiding unnecessary expense and duplication of effort.
There are no regulations regarding the sale of flower and most herb varieties so these will be unaffected.
It may be possible to find a way in which the registration of some varieties may be crowd-funded, and if so you will be advised further. Would this appeal
to you, if it turns out to be necessary to register even more varieties?
For the time being, Mr Etty has deemed it wise to extend the life of his current seed catalogue until the 31st December 2020, to leave time for all proposed and future variety registrations to take effect, with his new catalogue being issued effective from 1st January.
Finally, as ever, if you have no longer wish to receive communications from Mr Etty, please reply to this email and advise. We will remove you from our listing
Kind regards,
R Warner Chief Clerk
Simply Vegetables 39