Kale and chard chips in bowls

I waited a long time to try kale chips. My bad. This is some seriously munchable goodness, and adds some much-needed green food on the trail. See, I didn’t grow up in a house where steamed greens were eaten. It was salad, carrots and green beans, midwest style. I had my first kale at a potluck in my thirties, after I started running an organic produce department at a natural foods store (yeah, seems kinda backwards), and I was hooked immediately. I had that “where have you been all my life!?” moment. I eat kale almost every day, and I’m thankful my body tolerates it – many with autoimmune gut issues can’t handle veggies from the brassica family (broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc.).

I prefer black kale, otherwise known as dinosaur or lacinato kale. It’s the dark green, flatter-leafed stuff … and its’ easier to wash! The curly type is tasty too – a bit sweeter. For kale chips, the black kale is ideal; it’s easy to wash, stem and cut, and lays out on the dehydrator or oven tray nicely.

My love of kale naturally led me to the other dark leafy greens, such as collards and chard. This recipe is great for kale and chard, though I haven’t tried it with collards. Methinks collards would be good too – and may even produce a hearty dried leaf that could be powdered for some kind of high-powered backcountry drink mix… yes, that’s in the works for another post!

Enough about the loveliness of the dark leafies. Here’s the recipe with photos, and if you want a pared-down print-out version, that’s at the bottom:

Simple Kale and Chard Chips

Ingredients:

1 bunch black kale or any color chard
sea salt

Instructions:

Cut chard for drying

  1. Wash the chard or kale.
  2. Cut out the lower half of the stems (or the whole thing if you like).
  3. Cut the leaves into roughly 4″x4″ pieces.
  4. Steam in a pot briefly till the leaves just start to get tender.
  5. Remove from pot and drain well.
  6. Lay out on deydrator trays with just a bit of space between leaves.
  7. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
  8. Dry at 125°F for 1 hour or until crunchy and light. Make sure to cool the leaves fully before testing for final dryness; they will appear crispier and drier when they are still warm. If you find they are not dry enough, just put them back in the dehydrator for more time.
  9. Store in an airtight, light-proof container in a cool, dark place.

chard and kale on drying trays

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Simple Kale and Chard Chips
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Recipe type: Vegetable
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch black kale or any color chard
  • sea salt
Instructions
  1. Wash the chard or kale.
  2. Cut out the lower half of the stems (or the whole thing if you like).
  3. Cut the leaves into roughly 4"x4" pieces.
  4. Steam in a pot briefly till the leaves just start to get tender.
  5. Remove from pot and drain well.
  6. Lay out on deydrator trays with just a bit of space between leaves.
  7. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
  8. Dry at 125°F for 1 hour or until crunchy and light..
  9. Store in an airtight, light-proof container in a cool, dark place.
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