Sutherland Kale (“Càil Cataibh” in Gaelic)

Simply the best! Back in 2003 we were sent a small sample of kale seed by Vicky Schilling, of Ullapool, with the following note attached:

I am sending you some seed of Sutherland Kale given me by an 80yr old in Sutherland, its an old variety grown by the crofters. We grew it last season and its lovely, very tender green leaves on plants that grow waist high – need staking! Cooks just like spinach and lasts through the hungry gap.

We tried it out and were really impressed. It is the most vigorous and resilient kale we have seen. It shrugged off attack by aphids, cabbage white caterpillars, ravenous goats, and 70 mph freezing sleet overwinter. In each case it sprang back, growing new leaves with no trouble in spring when at its most valuable. And when it starts flower, the shoots are good to eat too, very much like sprouting broccoli shoots.

In 2007 we recieved a bit more history about this kale, from Vicky, who has been researching the background of the Kale she sent us:

The old lady the Kale came from is Elizabeth Woolcombe, of West Drummie in Sutherland. She is in fact 93, and her daughter has remembered where they got the Sutherland Kale from. It was given to them by Angus Simmonds about 50 years ago, he was doing research on Kales at Edinburgh University at the time.”

A real success of home seed-saving. This was extinct other than the few seeds given to us. But since we rescued it, and offered it in the catalogue, people have saved their own seed all over the country and even Europe. Do keep your own seed using the instructions supplied!

A real success of home seed-saving. This was extinct other than the few seeds given to us. But since we rescued it, and offered it in the catalogue, people have saved their own seed all over the country and even Europe. Do keep your own seed using the instructions supplied!