Frostkin Kale

Winter food supplies have always been an issue, especially in northern regions of Polira, like Gression, where the season comes early and heavily. Early spring, slow to arrive in the north, also has major challenges, with the so-called "hungry gap" between dwindling winter stores and not yet sprouted spring growth. Farmers in the Gression area have toiled for generations to shrink that gap as best they can through careful crop selection and cross-breeding.

Through the winter healthy and hale,
On potatoes, beans and Frostkin kale

— Gression Folk Saying

One result of these efforts is a hardy variety of kale known as Frostkin kale. Frostkin is a long stemmed, curly leaf variety of kale. It has a deep green coloration with purple tints to the plant's veins and undersides. This kale has been bred specifically for the shorter growing seasons in Gression, sprouting in about two-thirds of the time that an average kale plant needs. It is also very cold resistant, lasting well into winter, and even improving in flavor after a frost.
Kale is an extremely healthy vegetable, best when cooked, and a welcome source of fresh greens in wintertime. This is why so much effort has been put into breeding new, hardier strains, despite the plant's two year growth cycle. The Frostkin variety was first introduced in the town of Rockhaven in 475 AS by horticulturalist Lara Allard. The cold-loving kale quickly spread to other settlements nearby. Since then, it has become the most popular type of kale in the northern towns of Polira.

by Nightflyer0ne via Midjourney

Scientific Name

Brassica oleracea

Lifespan

2 years

Average Height

3-6 hands tall

Average Length

3-6 hands wide

Geographic Distribution

• Polira

Discovered by

Lara Allard