Ethiopian kale

Choose by flavour, shape and use

Gomenzer: Gomenzer quickly produces leaves and young shoots. Green to purple-green foliage also suits mixed beds. Steam young shoots briefly or add finely sliced leaves to cooked meals. Young leaves can also be eaten raw.

The producer describes a nutty cabbage flavour and compares steamed shoots with broccoli. That distinction is more specific than simply 'tasty'.

Cabbage for a young leaf harvest

Ethiopian kale is Brassica carinata, a cabbage-family leaf crop. Gomenzer has green and purple leaves. Expect loose leaves and shoots, not closed heads. Small repeated harvests let you use it before it dominates a large bed.

Light and shelter

Give light, drainage and shelter from strong wind. Culinaris describes Gomenzer as non-hardy. Plan fresh crops rather than treating cold automatically as storage. Near-home containers ease brief daily observation of emergence, water and leaves.

Sow thinly for cutting greens

The breeder recommends about one-centimetre depth. Young cutting rows may stand about twenty-five centimetres apart, closer within rows than mature plants. Start one small sowing, let it emerge and judge density before filling the whole bed identically.

A well-prepared start

Make the surface level and crumbly so sowing depth does not vary greatly within a row. Remove large weeds first. A label with the variety name, sowing date and harvest aim helps assess the trial. Allow more space later for individual leaf plants than for a row cut young.

Watering and leaf checks

Although this cabbage handles warmth, adequate water helps prevent early drought bolting. Check young leaves for damage such as flea beetles. Early fleece can protect; inspect emergence and targeted watering access beneath covering.

Cutting bed or manageable container

Leaf beds suit rows harvested young together; containers suit smaller portions observed and trimmed more often. Keep harvest aims identical for comparison. Dense cutting rows and single mature plants give different views of the same crop.

Start with young leaves

Culinaris gives five to seven weeks to a young harvest under favourable conditions. Use that as a guide and assess the actual plants. Young greens are a different product from a tall, flowering plant. Harvest some, taste it and plan the next sowing with that experience in mind.

Green with a nutty cabbage note

The breeder describes Gomenzer as nutty and cabbage-like, towards broccoli when steamed. Prepare a first portion simply. Taste young leaves separately from thicker shoots to find preferred stages. Colour variation is visual, not evidence of a separate purple flavour.