Edible kale buds?

[Monika]

"Best practices" doesn't seem quite the right slot to put this question, but here it goes: I was clearing away the last kale plants yesterday (Ragged Jack, Dwarf Green Curly, Nero di Toscana) because they were starting to put out flower buds. When I had put them all on the compost hap, it occurred to me that the buds looked very similar to purple/green sprouting broccoli. Should I have tried cooking them, do you think? They can't be poisonous, can they? But perhaps very bitter?

[Geoff]

We've enjoyed eating flower buds from both black and red kale.

[alan refail]

Monika

Don't throw away the best part of the kale

All brassica flower buds (and stems) are edible and delicious. I am not the only person who grows kale mainly for the flowering stalks in May. Even the roughest, bitterest kale seems to have sweeter flower stems.

[Monika]

Thanks for that, Geoff and Alan! It's too late for this year but well worth rermembering for next year.

[goldilox]

How about oilseed rape? We've got fields and fields of it all around us this year, just starting to flower
It smells like stale saliva - bring back the sunflowers!

[Johnboy]

Hi Monika,
The variety of Kale renown for the very scrumptious side shoots it produces is 'Pentland Brig' which also gives a very good crop of Kale over what used to be called 'the hungry gap.' These sideshoots should be picked just like Broccoli spears, when in bud. A very well worth additional crop.
I suppose there is no chance of retrieving any of them from the compost heap! It seems such a shame to lose them from this years crop.
JB.

[Monika]

Hello Johnboy,
No, I had a look the following day but they were all horribly limp, particularly as I bashed the stems hard so that they would compost more easily!
I'll know better next year and, as I have not yet sown this year's kale, I will try to get hold of Pentland Brig.
Many thanks again, Monika