Ron Finley’s Baked Kale Chips Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Apr 3, 2022 • 2 min read
Ron Finley, the “Gangster Gardener,” doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s not a big fan of raw greens, but he can get behind some kale chips when they’re done right (a.k.a. when he makes them himself). This vegan, gluten-free snack works best with curly kale rather than flat-leaved varieties.
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A Brief Introduction to Ron Finley
Ron Finley comes from a place where much of what grows must force itself through cracks in the concrete. The “Gangsta Gardener,” as he’s known, hails from South Central Los Angeles, a neighborhood so often portrayed in film and on television as a harsh landscape of poverty, gangs, and endless drive-thru fast-food joints. Thanks to Ron, South Central is now also becoming known for its communally-managed organic fruit and vegetable gardens.
In 2010, Ron got fed up with having to drive 45 minutes to find a tomato that hadn’t been doused in agrochemicals. So he cleared the trash from a narrow strip of soil that ran between the sidewalk and the street in front of his house and planted tomatoes, melons, broccoli, kale, and other fruit and vegetable varieties. Soon he had such a bumper crop on his hands that he was feeding not just himself but his neighbors. Ron’s garden became a conversation piece, a catalyst for new friendships, the midwife for a new kind of street vibe—sprouting new possibilities.
“For the last 10 years, I’ve worked to turn this food desert into a food forest,” Ron says. “I wanted to show people the possibilities of what could happen with this land that was just being used for people’s dog shit. People leave dressers and toilets and whatever. They just discard all their trash on their parkway. I wanted to beautify this. I wanted to show people they could do the same thing.”
Ron Finley’s Baked Kale Chips Recipe
makes
prep time
5 mintotal time
25 mincook time
20 minIngredients
- 1
Preheat the oven to 300° Fahrenheit.
- 2
Remove the kale leaves from the stems and rip the leaves into roughly 2-inch pieces. Make sure the leaves are as dry as possible. (If you grew the kale organically in your garden, you probably don’t need to wash it, but if you do opt to wash it, pat it dry and run it through a salad spinner.)
- 3
Toss the shredded greens in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and season to taste with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, or any other spice or herb of your choice.
- 4
Once spiced, spread the kale pieces in a single layer on baking sheets or cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
- 5
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges of the leaves begin to brown and are crispy. Let cool to room temperature before eating, or store for 3 days in an airtight container.
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