does anyone know where to get seeds for organic redbor kale?

[kaybee]

michigan roman--did you ever think of collecting the seeds so you dont have to buy them all every year? although i guess if you want 80000 seeds thats an awful lot of collecting work...might just be easier to buy...

yeah im after the redbor kale though, not the red russian. do you know the one im talking about? its SO beautiful. anyway, no luck through seedsavers, though i did find a source for nonorganic here...not ideal, but... looks like thats all thats available. i might see if my dad can talk to the growers at the mkt and source me some organic. problem with the redbor is its a hybrid between 2 kale varieties so you have to buy every year; the seeds if you collect them dont breed true, but revert back. theyre in the process of developing a non-hybrid, organic, red curly kale which would breed true. that'll be nice.

thanks lavendula, i did find a source here; not organic either though.

hmmmm. raw food in ireland.. well, sport is able to get a pretty good variety of stuff down in cork, and i have the impression that galway is more "healthy food friendly" than other places but i doubt youll find a raw cafe there. the only one i know of is in wicklow which is on the otherside of the country. June is good though because there should be farmers markets going already, i know theres a big one near limerick and i know of a huge organic farm that sells there, and theres a small organic market down in milltown, kerry, near killarney...some grocery stores have some organic now, depending on which store and where you are will determine the offerings. I hit up Lidl grocery chain for fruits and avocados, some are organic, and some health food shops have produce sections but many that Ive seen dont. where I am, if i want greens, I more or less have to grow them myself or forage them or eat non-organic, we dont have great organic variety here. I am Kerry, let me know if you are coming this way.
kaybee

[michigan roman]

i do save alot of seeds , but in this case ive never grown the red russian kale

and yes im familiar with the redbor , ive grown the green / siberian type with the same frilly / curled leaves . but wanting to try the flat / uncurled red russian type this season . im hoping that it taste less brassy during the summer months because the siberian type tastes too brassy for me during summer heat . but then when cool fall weather hits it sweetens up and taste real good imo .

im going for a salad base of SPINACH / ROMAINE / REDRUSSIANKALE / ARUGULA / RED LEAF LETTUCE / DANDELION this season

[kaybee]

hmmm...i dont know about the kale tasting brassy during the summer heat because....we dont get any summer heat here ;p. i have to say that i prefer the curly kale to the lacinato or red russian, but i use it mostly for kale salad where you massage olive oil into it. Otherwise for me its too tough to use raw. the red russian IS more tender so it would probably work better for raw "un-massaged" (lol) salads. its nice as baby greens too but baby greens are SO much work... and take so many plants to get any amount. hey ya know what else is LOVELY? red amaranth (eat the leaves). but it HAS to be the "edible red leaf" (Een Choy Hiyu). all the other amaranth ive tried is so so bitter. so disappointing. Botanical Interests has the seed. anyway, its like spinach, but a little bit different. and VERY pretty. (sorry, im into "pretty", lol) and i think it actually likes the heat. we have to grow it in the greenhouse here. Also very nice for "pretty salads": the sorrel that is shaped like a shamrock--WOOD sorrel. SO pretty. and sour-y tasting. i dont know where to get seed for it though. we only have it wild here so im trying to pot some up and transplant it. also, chervil is pretty in salads, and calendula petals, nasturtium flowers and leaves, and Borage flowers. borage flowers are REALLY pretty; calendula and nasturtium grow very easily.

sorry, off on a roll ;) im about to order some "exotic/medicinal" seeds from mountain rose herbs. and figure out the rest of my seed orders. problem is that for some thing i only need a COUPLE of seeds, just to try things out and instead i have to pay for the whole package...then some of them arent good still by the next year


kaybee