Red Russian Kale, pre 1885 Heirloom, Organic

The story of Red Russian kale is one of remarkable endurance and cross-continental travel.

• Journey to North America: Believed to have been brought to Canada and the northern United States by Russian traders in the 19th century—and documented in seed catalogs by 1885—this variety quickly won over homesteaders for its ability to shrug off punishing winter freezes.
• Built for Extremes: While many brassicas turn bitter or succumb when temperatures plummet, Red Russian actually improves in quality after a hard frost. The cold triggers the plant to convert starches into natural sugars, resulting in exceptionally sweet, mild leaves when the rest of the garden is sleeping.

Red Russian is as ornamental in the garden bed as it is delicious on the dinner plate.

• The Look: Flat, deeply lobed, oak-leaf-shaped greens featuring blue-green blades highlighted by striking purple-red stems and veins. It adds gorgeous contrast and texture to autumn and spring garden layouts.
• The Flavor & Texture: Unusually tender and succulent, lacking the tough, fibrous bite associated with curly kales. The flavor is mild, earthy, and sweet—making it one of the absolute best varieties for eating raw in fresh salads.
• Culinary Uses: Harvest young as tender baby greens for mesclun mixes, steam or sauté the mature leaves, or toss them into hearty winter soups and stir-fries.

Red Russian is a vigorous, cold-tolerant biennial grown as a cool-season annual, thriving in spring and autumn conditions.

"Red Russian kale is our go-to for foolproof cool-season gardening. We love it because those deeply lobed, purple-veined leaves look stunning in the garden beds, and they taste remarkably tender right through freezing winter weather. When a November frost turns that mild, sweet flavor up, you realize why this 1885 classic has stayed popular for generations."

• Cool-Season Timing: Plant seeds in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked for a spring harvest, or sow in mid-to-late summer for a prolific autumn and winter crop.
• Spacing: Sow seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Thin plants to about 12 inches apart in rich, well-draining soil to give each plant room to form a lush rosette of leaves.
• Embrace the Frost: Don't pull your plants when the weather turns cold! Leave them in the ground through light snows and freezes—you'll be rewarded with the sweetest, most tender harvest of the year.