Heirloom Foods – Organic Kale, Chomolia

Size

±500g

Ingredients

Freshly harvested Organic Chomolia Kale

• Organically grown
• No synthetic pesticides
• No synthetic herbicides
• No synthetic fertilisers
• No GMOs
• Non-irradiated
• No preservatives

Directions to Use

Wash thoroughly before use. Remove any particularly tough stems if preferred, then slice or shred the leaves. Cook Chomolia similarly to kale, cabbage or Swiss chard. Sauté it with onion, garlic and seasoning, add it to stir-fries, or simmer it into sauces, curries and stews. Because the leaves hold up well to cooking, Chomolia works particularly well in dishes where leafy greens need to simmer together with other ingredients.

What Is Chomolia?

Chomolia is an interesting example of how communities have selected and maintained leafy vegetables for their local climate, food traditions and growing conditions.

It is particularly well known in parts of Southern Africa, including Zambia and Zimbabwe. Unlike many vegetables that growers start from seed for each crop, Chomolia can also be propagated vegetatively from cuttings. Once established, the plants can provide leaves for repeated harvesting.

Its ability to tolerate relatively dry conditions also makes it a useful leafy crop in areas where water availability can vary considerably through the seasons.

Is Chomolia Really Kale?

Chomolia is better understood as a flat leaf form of Brassica oleracea, which is different from curly kale varieties many shoppers know simply as “kale”.

That places it within the remarkable Brassica oleracea group, which also includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collard greens and kale.

Although these vegetables can look remarkably different, generations of cultivation and selection have emphasised different parts of the same species – leaves in kale and collards, compact heads in cabbage, flower structures in broccoli and cauliflower, and enlarged buds in Brussels sprouts.

Chomolia vs Curly Kale vs Swiss Chard

Although all three are cooked as leafy greens, they aren’t the same plant.

Chomolia and curly kale belong to the brassica family and are closely related to cabbage. Swiss chard, however, is Beta vulgaris – the same species that also gave us beetroot.

Their culinary uses overlap considerably. All can be sautéed, steamed or incorporated into soups, stews and sauces, but their leaf texture and flavour differ.

Did You Know?

Chomolia can be grown from cuttings

One of Chomolia’s particularly interesting characteristics is its ability to propagate from stem cuttings. Instead of relying exclusively on seed, growers can take suitable cuttings from established plants and use them to produce new ones. This method helps preserve plants with desirable characteristics and supports continued local cultivation.

Chomolia is part of Southern Africa’s food-growing heritage

While curly kale has become internationally fashionable in recent years, flat leaf brassicas have been part of food traditions across Africa for generations.

Chomolia is a good example of why locally adapted crop varieties matter. Plants selected and maintained within particular regions can contribute not only to diverse diets, but also to agricultural diversity and the preservation of local food knowledge.