At the end of October, I put the word out to all of you that I was and still am looking for farmers. Luckily I am working with a few of you right now to get seeds to local producers in your areas who might be willing to start growing kale so that it is accessible in your area.
One woman, the lovely Kayla, who splits her time between two places in the south of France was going to be in Paris and wanted to meet up to discuss how we could work together. I came from a weekend in London with a bunch of kale from the High Street Kensington Whole Foods and batches of seeds for her to take away.
She has quickly become The Kale Project ambassador for Nice and secured a lovely farm, Le Temps des Récoltes, to grow the leafy green starting this spring. They have an online panier bio and sell at three different markets which means greater reach to the regions of Hyeres and Toulon.
I’m so excited to have Kayla helping out with spreading the kale love and it only means better things for the Project as kale growth continues outside of Paris!
If you are interested in getting kale to your region, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Other areas in progress are the Val d’Oise, Massy and Caen.
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Describe what kale tastes like in one sentence.
Kale tastes like an earth, vitamin and health explosion in a single, delectable bite.
When did you first try kale?
I grew up on a solid Louisiana diet of turnip and collard greens. Making the transition to a hardcore leafy green was easy, during my 20s in California. I spied a curly kale salad in the prepared foods section of Erewhon and experienced a visceral connection to it’s beauty. I knew instantly it would cure the hangover I sported that day.
What is your favorite way to eat kale?
Raw and chopped finely in a salad, mixed with raisins and toasted pine nuts and dressed with oil, vinegar, lemon and tiny bits of shallot.
If you were serving kale to a “kale-virgin,” how would you do it?
Dare I offer them a kale-smoothie? Blended with fresh pineapple and pear, guaranteed to brighten skin and eyes immediately.
Talk about your experience with trying to find kale in the south of France.
Frustrating. I live between Hyeres and Nice, very much an agricultural hotspot. Before I moved here I wrongly assumed kale would be an easy find. On quick visits in the past, I thought I could not find it because it was out of season. Now I know the sad truth. But there is hope. My favorite local organic farmer has agreed to grow kale. When it comes in, I plan to offer salads, smoothies and other dishes in the hopes of getting the farm’s French customers interested.
Pierre-Alain says
Hi Kristen, I’d like to figure where to find Kale in Nice area. I’ve checked the Website “Le Temps des recoltes”. But it’s actually quite far from here. If you had any idea of farm or people I should get in touch with, I would very much appreciate.
kristen says
Hi Pierre – Nice to hear from you! Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately the farmers at Le temps des recoltes did not work out how I wanted and I’m still hoping to find some new producers in the region. Please stay up to date w/ the project and hopefully I will have some good news soon. I wish I had better news for you ! -Kristen