When the days grow shorter and colder, for many Northern Germans this means the start of the culinary high season: the kale season starts at that time. Kale is barely known outside of Northern Germany and the Netherlands. That's why it's hardly surprising that the cultivation area in Germany has remained around 1,000 hectares for years. According to information from the Niedersachsen Bureau for Statistics almost 6,000 tonnes of kale was harvested on 497 acres in Niedersachsen in 2011. That was around one third of the whole German harvest. The growers can expect a good average harvest again this year.
Only the state Nordrhein-Westfalen plays a bigger role in growing kale in Germany than Niedersachsen. Whilst the kale from Niedersachsen is mainly frozen, the kale from Nordrhein-Westfalen also ends up in tins and jars.