Red Russian Kale
Item Details
(aka Ragged Jack) One of the hardiest and most tender-leaved of all kales, this variety is originally from Siberia and was brought to Canada by Russian traders around 1885. Its beautiful, frilly, purple-veined, blue-green leaves are tinged with red-purple and resemble oak leaves. Vigorous plants grow 18-36" tall. Leaves have a mild, sweet flavor.
- 50-60 days from transplant
- Organic
- Mild sweet flavor
- Tolerates cold temperatures to -10 degrees Fahrenheit
- Leaves have purple veins
- Leaves are flat and frilled rather than curled
This variety works for:
- Fresh eating
- Steaming
- Stir-fries
- Baking
- Soups
- Freezing
Kale can be prepared just like spinach and steamed, blanched, or braised. It is exceptionally good with garlic and can be added to thick and creamy potato, bean, or sausage soups.
Try adding cooked kale to roasted sweet potato dishes or tossing with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and pancetta in a citrus-vinegar dressing.
When adding raw kale to a salad, wash and gently massage the leaves to break down the texture before tossing.
Growing Instructions
Instructions - Sow seeds indoors ¼" deep. Plant out just before the last frost. Kale is most tender and delicious after a frost. Harvest can continue even after snow.
- Start Indoors: 6-8 weeks before last frost
- Germination: 3-10 Days
- Plant Outdoors: 24” Apart
- Light: Full Sun
Ratings & Reviews
5 reviews
Kale in Colorado
by Heike
I have been growing this kale in the temperamental climate of the Colorado Eastern Plains for many years. Does well when planted in a hill bed (Huegelbeet) in poor soil with lots of shade. A cool spring helps tremendously. Kale was never meant to be eaten raw and is a cool season food. A cold snap is necessary to remove the bitter taste, my uncle remembers not eating kale until after a frost for that reason (in Germany). It is best with traditional sausages or smoked pork. Getting ready to take this kale to 10,000 feet, curious to see how it does there.
Thrived until Christmas in southern WI
by Margaret
We harvested the last crop from under four inches of snow, and it was delicious. This is the only kind of kale I want to grow.
My new favorite kale
by ALLISON
This has become my favorite kale variety. It is great as a salad green as it isn't as chewy as curled leaf varieties. Looking forward to seeing how it does through fall and winter.
Wonderful Kale Variety
by Paul
I love this variety of kale. It tastes great raw or cooked. I've grown it two years in a row now and it performs well in Northern Virginia.
Excellent quality seed and professionally packaged and delivered
by Daniel
I ordered a pack of these Red Russian Kale for fall 2022 planting. The germination was excellent. The plants struggled a little with the extra hot temps and no rain this fall, but with cooler weather, they have started coming into their own very nicely. Looking forward to start harvesting some outer leaves soon.