Harvesting Kale Seeds

Remember, at the beginning of the Spring, my kale looked like this.

Then suddenly, as if a miracle occurred, it morphed into this.  Well, it didn't really morph into this.  I pulled of the dead leaves after these pretty ones started to grow.

And this started happening.

Hundreds of pods of kale seeds.

I wish we had more ladybugs.  Stupid white flies eating my plants....

After they all turned dry and brown, I cut them off the plant.  Then, I left them out in the sun to completely dry.

Inside the pods are little, black seeds.  If you went through, breaking each and every pod open, it would take you ten years.  Maybe not exactly ten, but close.  Remember, I only had one kale plant.  All the pods you see are from one plant.

What's the best solution?  Put all the pods in a garbage bag.  Yes, you heard me right, a garbage bag.  Then you whack the bag with whatever.  This all happened early this spring, so honestly, I don't remember what I used.  Hit it hard, just don't break the bag.  It's not a pinata.

What you wind up with is a bag full of empty pods.

And voila!  Seeds!

Don't leave them in the bag!  The residual moisture will make them moldy.  Learn from my mistakes people!  I left the seeds out on a tray to make sure they were completely dried, then threw them all into a mason jar.  I have homemade seed packets, but there was almost a pint of seeds.

As for my kale plant, it continues to grow.  Even now.  I have so much kale that I don't actually need to plant any of the hundreds of seeds it produced.  Maybe I'll grow some kale sprouts.