Greens & Things

[xBapes]

After some advice given to me by another member here, I bought some Endive to add to my toroise salad mix. I wasn't able to get any Escarole..it was sold out at Wegmans! I saw these two other greens and I was curious if anyone else has seen these or used these before? It's Lucinato Tuscan Kale and the other is Rappi. Are they safe to use? I was thinking about buying some while I was there Wegmans is full of green choices

 

[wellington]

Kale is fine, I don't know what the other one is.

 

[xBapes]

Kale is fine, I don't know what the other one is.

I use regular organic kale, but I saw the variant and wondered if their was any biological difference to the toroise

 

[wellington]

I use regular organic kale, but I saw the variant and wondered if their was any biological difference to the toroise

Not that I have heard of

 

[RosemaryDW]

Rappi or rappini is another name for broccoli rabe, sometimes called Italian broccoli. Same plant but grown with a focus on the stems and leaves more so than the big bud heads we see on “regular” broccoli.

Broccoli is in the brassica family, as is kale, bok choy, collards, chard, turnips (tops), radishes (tops), watercress, and many others.

These are fine foods to rotate in and out of a Russians diet; they eat a far amount of brassicas in their native diet. I have access to far more foods than most owners; I’d say my tortoise got perhaps thirty percent brassicas before she started eating out of our yard. Now it’s less but I still regularly feed her turnip and radish tops, the occasional collards I buy for myself.

I don’t think I’d feed rabe often; just because I’ve heard little about its use and stems and flower buds are not the leaves your tortoise should be eating. If I did feed it, I’d only feed the leaves and perhaps some of the thinnest stems. If you’d like to saute or roast some rabe for yourself and save some leaves for your tortoise, that’s a possibility.

Otherwise I’d suggest you save your money and buy brassicas that are similar but less expensive. Choy, collards, and turnip greens are nice in that they offer a fair amount of calcium.

I wouldn’t be surprised if your Wegman’s carryies turnip tops, or at least turnips with leaves still attached (roast or mash the turnips, they are delicious).

I also wouldn’t be surprised if your Wegman’s carries dandelions somewhere in there. Could be called dandelion, garnet dandelion, red dandelion, Italian dandelion.

 

[RosemaryDW]

I use regular organic kale, but I saw the variant and wondered if their was any biological difference to the toroise

Not much. The different kales probably carry different amounts of certain vitamins and calcium but not enough to fuss over. Again, your single tortoise won’t eat an entire bag/bundle of kale before it goes bad. If you already eat regular kale, use it. If you don’t, you’ll probably want to start adding different greens to your own diet. Or be prepared to throw some away.

I happen to prefer lacinto/black kale for my own food, so that’s the kale my tortoise is sometimes offered. (She doesn’t care for it these days.)

 

[RosemaryDW]

Also, take another look (at many groceries) for the chicory called frisee. Frisee is nice in that it keeps a looong time. Since you are buying for one tortoise only, the cost differential from escarole (if any) is not a make or break for you. But any chicory is a good chicory!

 

[xBapes]

Rappi or rappini is another name for broccoli rabe, sometimes called Italian broccoli. Same plant but grown with a focus on the stems and leaves more so than the big bud heads we see on “regular” broccoli.

Broccoli is in the brassica family, as is kale, bok choy, collards, chard, turnips (tops), radishes (tops), watercress, and many others.

These are fine foods to rotate in and out of a Russians diet; they eat a far amount of brassicas in their native diet. I have access to far more foods than most owners; I’d say my tortoise got perhaps thirty percent brassicas before she started eating out of our yard. Now it’s less but I still regularly feed her turnip and radish tops, the occasional collards I buy for myself.

I don’t think I’d feed rabe often; just because I’ve heard little about its use and stems and flower buds are not the leaves your tortoise should be eating. If I did feed it, I’d only feed the leaves and perhaps some of the thinnest stems. If you’d like to saute or roast some rabe for yourself and save some leaves for your tortoise, that’s a possibility.

Otherwise I’d suggest you save your money and buy brassicas that are similar but less expensive. Choy, collards, and turnip greens are nice in that they offer a fair amount of calcium.

I wouldn’t be surprised if your Wegman’s carryies turnip tops, or at least turnips with leaves still attached (roast or mash the turnips, they are delicious).

I also wouldn’t be surprised if your Wegman’s carries dandelions somewhere in there. Could be called dandelion, garnet dandelion, red dandelion, Italian dandelion.

Yeah I bought Turnip Greens, Endive, and Organic Kale. They were out of Dandelion too, they had the Rappi in the same place. I was also looking for Mustard Greens but they were out as well. I did go around 7pm so I'm sure most shoppers emptied them out. Stoli's menu the next couple of weeks is a mix of Endive, Turnip Greens, & Kale. I will likely switching it back up to Dandelion and some of the others I mentioned they were out of. Money isnt a concern of mine, so as long as its safe and a variety for him I'll buy it...lol

 

[RosemaryDW]

I was also looking for Mustard Greens but they were out as well. I did go around 7pm so I'm sure most shoppers emptied them out.

Mustard greens are also brassicas. (Seemingly everything is a brassica!) A fine food but again, brassicas should probably not provide the majority of his diets. You can swap it out for kale next time.

I was at Whole Foods today and noticed our rappini was also right there with some of the greens. I think someoneat corporate must have decided to shake up the displays; it’s a green vegetable but I don’t think of it as “greens.”