Q: I have a lot of kale that I’m going to need to pull out soon. I hate to waste it, but I can’t eat all that kale at once. Is there a good way to preserve it?
Kale and other winter cooking greens can be preserved either by pressure canning, freezing, or drying. (Since this is a low-acid food, you cannot safely water bath can it.) Healthycanning.com has directions for canning kale as well as several recipes that call for kale as an ingredient. This website is a good resource for safe canning recipes and advice since it only includes information from other safe sites, such as Bernardin/Ball, National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP), and master food preserver/university websites. Never use recipes or canning directions from random websites, especially “rebel” or “creative” food preserving sites! Although kale is best when it’s cooked with bacon or ham, do not add bacon, ham, or any other cured meat when pressure canning, since cured meat cannot be safely canned (even if it’s a minor ingredient).
My preferred method of preserving greens is to blanch and freeze. After washing thoroughly and removing tough stems, coarsely chop the greens and measure out one pound. Blanch for 1 or 2 minutes in boiling water, then remove and plunge into a bowl of cold water. Squeeze as much water as possible and place it in either a zip-lock freezer bag or a vacuum seal. If you flatten the bag or package, you can reduce a whole pound of greens into a rather thin, stackable package that will take up minimal space in your freezer.
Another safe preservation method is dehydration. After cleaning and chopping the leaves, spread them out on a dehydrator tray and sprinkle with salt. Dry until crisp, and you’ll have a healthy snack. Just remember to practice moderation when snacking since kale’s gas-producing properties are in no way diluted by dehydration!
Q: Are praying mantises good bugs or bad bugs?
I guess it depends on what it’s eating at the moment. Praying mantises are not very discriminating predators and will eat anything they can catch. This means that, although they will eat pest insects, they will also eat insects that eat the pests (ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, etc.). They will catch and eat both butterflies and cabbage moths. The larger mantids will also catch small birds, so if you see one hanging out near your hummingbird feeder, you should assume it is up to no good.
Los Angeles County
mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
Orange County
ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/
Riverside County
anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-955-0170; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/
San Bernardino County
mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu