Black Palm Kale is a Heirloom Kale variety which originates from Tuscany and is a favorite Italian vegetable. This Italian heirloom dates back to the early 1800s. It is also known as Palm Kale, Black Tuscan Kale, Dinosaur kale and Black cabbage.
The plant is a perennial and produces dark green to black leaves with slight wrinkles on the leaves and a firm texture. The leaves are deeply veined and branch off of the stem and hang in a similar fashion as the fronds of a palm tree, hence the term Palm Kale.
It is a tall kale that can grow to four feet in height by three feet wide. Although this Heirloom Kale is a vegetable, it makes for a beautiful ornamental plant in the garden as well.
Black Palm Kale Culinary Uses
It is a well known and favorite Italian vegetable. Low in calories, Black Palm Kale is packed with vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, and potassium.
- Black kale may be steamed, braised, stewed, fried, sautéed and juiced.
- It is traditionally used in soups and stews.
- It is also sautéed with olive oil & garlic and tossed with pasta.
- It can also be eaten raw and added to salads.
Indoor Sowing: Late Winter and Early Spring.
Direct Sowing: Spring and Autumn.
- Plant the Seeds in autumn or spring.
- You can also start the seeds in pots about six weeks before the planting date.
- Use a good seed-raising mix.
- Sow seeds 8mm deep and keep the soil consistently moist, but not wet or dry.
- Transplant the seedlings into the garden at the beginning of autumn or mid-spring.
- Needs to grow in fertile soil, rich in organic matter.
- You can expect to harvest your first leaves a few months later.
- This vegetable can survive hot summers, withstands frost well and may be over-wintered in temperate regions.









