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This One Stat Shows How Kale Has Exploded In The US

Hayley PetersonMay 10, 2014, 02:17 IST

Alana Kakoyiannis

Kale consumption in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent years.

The number of farms harvesting the leafy green plant more than doubled from 954 in 2007 to 2,500 in 2012, according to Department of Agriculture data, which was first reported on by Businessweek.

By comparison, the number of farms harvesting spinach and romaine lettuce in 2012 was 1,594 and 1,537, respectively.

Kale is most prevalent in California, where 390 farms harvested 1,680 acres of kale in 2012, followed by Georgia, New Jersey, and Texas.

The so-called "superfood" started gaining popularity in the U.S. about five years ago. The vegetable now appears on 400% more restaurant menus than it did five years ago, according to USA Today.