How to Store Kale

Keep garden kale alive with Abeego beeswax food wraps

We asked Google: “How long can a bunch of kale last in the refrigerator?” The answer was 5-7 days when properly stored. How was properly stored defined? In a plastic bag.

Okay, let’s get this straight. Plastic & food storage never belong in the same sentence. 

Friend, we have a better way. Maybe you want to give up plastic. Maybe you want to keep your kale longer and save it from becoming waste. Well, you can have both. 

You can store kale & extend its shelf life for far beyond 5-7 days, while retaining its vital nutrition to boot. Did you know your kale is alive, even after it’s picked? Like any other living thing, it breathes. 

Through respiration, kale releases its nutrients in the form of moisture. In an airtight container, this excess moisture gets trapped and quickly leads to rot. Without protection, however, kale rapidly wilts, yellows and dies even faster.

Have you ever looked closely at a lemon peel? It’s opaque with pores to breathe. This protects its insides and allows its gasses to escape. Abeego was modeled to work like nature’s peel in this way, while using ingredients from nature too, as it happens!

Keep reading. We have results for you from our test kitchen where you can see the before and after kale photos between kale with Abeego and kale without. You won’t believe the difference after only 4 days!

PLUS we have some helpful tips for getting the freshest kale, our favorite kale recipes, and tips for saving kale from the compost and ending food waste—right in your own kitchen. You too can taste the victory and be a kale-saving hero!


Kale being chopped on a cutting board and kale in a bowl covered with Abeego

KALE WITH ABEEGO VS KALE WITHOUT | ABEEGO TEST KITCHEN

Armed with Abeego, you have the power to save kale for longer than ever before. Look at what happened when we put Abeego to the test in our kitchen.

We weighed two separate bunches of purple raw kale and wrapped one bunch in Abeego and left the other bare. Then we stored the kale in the fridge’s crisper drawer. 

OUR RESULTS

After 4 days, we weighed the purple kale again. Below are the results. Can we hear a “kale yeah”?

Kale on the left (was wrapped in Abeego) ad looks perky and vibrant. Kale on the right (was left naked) and looks limp and sad.

Kale wrapped in Abeego (crispy & perky kale leaves on the left) retained 96% of its moisture vs kale without Abeego (floppy kale leaves on the right). That’s 31x more than kale left bare! 

The best way to store kale? The answer is clear—Abeego.

 

OUR WHY

There’s no trickery here. No smoke, no mirrors. Simply Abeego and the power of nature. 

Kale is alive and, like any other living thing, it breathes, even after it’s picked. Through respiration, it lets off its carbohydrates and nutrients in the form of moisture. 

Abeego, made from ingredients found in nature, acts like a peel in that it protects while being breathable. Kale’s moisture can escape (instead of building up like it does in airtight containers) while Abeego’s protective barrier keeps kale from drying out and wilting.

Keep your super food super! 

When kale is protected and preserved in this way, it retains its nutrients, which is the main reason you’re eating this hearty green anyway, right?

Take care of your kale and it will take care of you!

 

HOW TO KEEP KALE FRESH WITH ABEEGO

Three images next to each other of two varieties of kale being wrapped in a Giant Abeego
  • Grab a Large Abeego, roll your kale, and twist or scrunch the ends to close. That’s it! 
  • Reach for a Giant Abeego & double-wrap your kale with other leafy greens. Arugula? Spinach? They all love each other!
  • Put your kale salad in a large bowl and cover with a Large or Medium Abeego.

For more wrap inspiration, check out the Abeego YouTube channel

 

HOW TO GET KALE

What should you look for to buy the best kale? While curly, crisp, moist, firm, and bright colors define fresh kale—we can’t stress this enough—use your senses! Which kale looks, smells, and feels the best to you? Kale with limp or yellowing leaves indicate it’s on its way out. 

Well-regarded as a superfood, kale was considered merely a garnish a couple of decades ago, although it has been farmed for more than 2,000 years, evidence that kale is here to stay. While you’re likely familiar with curly or purple kale, have you tried lacinato, Russian, dinosaur, redbor, or white kale? Your local farmers’ market or specialty grocery store is the best place to find these and other heirloom kale varieties.

 

HOW TO EAT KALE

Kale wrapped in Abeego on the counter next to small spice dishes and a plate with portobello mushrooms. A Giant Abeego folded into a bag with hands putting portobello mushrooms inside.

There’s no shortage of kale recipes on the internet: simple kale sautes, kale salads, kale chips, or stews.

No longer is kale relegated to a side dish. We love this leafy green’s hardiness and satisfying texture which lends itself as a meaty ingredient for recipes like these gluten-free, vegetarian stuffed mushrooms from A Full Living. We used kale, onions, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan and stuffed large Portebello mushrooms to turn this dish from an appetizer into a meal. 

Abeego Tip: Whether it’s for mushrooms or other stuffings, take the opportunity to use up veggie bits and bobs from the fridge. Chop them up finely and add to the mix to enrich flavor and nutrition while eliminating food waste.

Kale is also a perfect ingredient for a good ol’ green smoothie. Abeego Founder, Toni Desrosiers, makes a mean zero-waste Strawberry Mint Smoothie with kale here.

 

BUILDING THE ABEEGO HABIT

Two images side by side of a woman holding a bouquet of kale wrapped in Abeego beeswax food wrap

ROOT TO STEM

Hold up on throwing the kale stem into your compost! Instead, try our Kale Stem Pesto recipe. There’s loads of nutrients in those stalks and it’s one more way to reduce food waste.

SHARE KALE

Gift for a foodie friend? Skip the flowers and go for the gastro with a bouquet of kale wrapped in Abeego. 

 


SHOP ABEEGO & KEEP KALE ALIVE

   


 


 

It is with deep respect and gratitude that we create, build and operate our business in the communities of Southern Vancouver Island, which as a business we acknowledge is located within the ancestral and unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) (Esquimalt and Songhees), Malahat, Pacheedaht, Scia'new, T’Sou-ke and W̱SÁNEĆ (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum) peoples.

 

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