Kale City!

The good news is that the Toscano kale that I planted is flourishing - I plan to harvest it in the next few days.

The less-than-good news is that we also got a big bunch of Red Russian kale in our CSA bag last week.  That means kind of a lot of kale for 2 people in one week.  We do use some of this in juice, but I like trying to come up with other ways to cook it (besides the ubiquitous chips). And it absolutely had to be cooked last night, as it was starting to wilt quite depressingly in the fridge.

So, kale joined a few other random kitchen inhabitants in what I have decided to call "Mexican-Inspired Hash."

That blurriness in the middle frame is actually the steam coming off of my dinner - couldn't wait long enough to get a good photo!

To make this, you will need the following:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped*
2 medium sweet potatoes (yams)
1 package of chicken sausage (I used Spicy Jalapeno, which inspired the "Mexican-Inspired")
as much kale as you need to get rid of
1 clove garlic

*You could also add peppers or mushrooms if you have them on hand - chop them in pieces the same size as the onions and add in the same step

1. Heat some oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the onions
2. While the onions are cooking, peel and chop the sweet potatoes
3. Add the sweet potatoes to the pan, stirring with the onions.  At this point I also added a dash of Adobo seasoning, which imparts a nice "Mexican-Inspired" flavor
4. While the potatoes and onions are cooking, slice and dice the sausage into small pieces
5. Add the sausage, stirring again.  Increase heat to medium high (I did this to add some browning/charring to the sausage and potatoes)
6. Chop the kale into small pieces and add to pan
7. Mince or finely chop one clove of garlic
8. Add garlic to pan and reduce heat to medium-low.  Toss all ingredients
9. Cook until kale is your desired tenderness

This meal borders on "hearty," so I enjoyed mine with some salsa and guacamole to kind of brighten things up.

In general, when I am not putting kale into juice or dehydrating it into chips, I cook it like this - adding it at the end of dishes that are akin to stir-fries.  It cooks up quickly and adds nice color and vitamins to whatever you are making!  I make something along these lines probably once a week, with whatever veggies we have on hand, with or without meat, sometimes with eggs, sometimes with cheese... the possibilities are really endless.  You just need a generous saute pan and a hot stove!

Vegetable Confessions

Oh, it has been such a busy week, with jobs and rainstorms and sinus infections!

Butch is like, "I know you are busy but where is my second breakfast?" 

So there's been a lag in blogging, but not for lack of action in the backyard!  Expect some updates.

But first, I'd like to come clean on a few things.  Not everyday things, but things that most gardeners would keep as deep-dark-secret kind of things.

1) I never knew that pea shoots were edible until this week
2) I learned about pea shoots from the CSA that we joined and received our first bag from this week.  I know, I know, what about all the stuff I am growing out back?  Well essentially, I can't grow everything.  I am limited in time, space, and expertise.  I intentionally decided to focus on just a few crops this year that I've had success with in the past.  And also - a CSA is a great chance to try some new things.  Every week is like an episode of Chopped! Money well spent.
3) I do not actually enjoy pea shoots, at least not raw.

I was a little thrown by the pea shoots, but thanks to Google I discovered www.peashoots.com!  Yes, an entire website devoted to pea shoots! I found a recipe for Pea Shoot and Strawberry Salad that sounded delicious (and for which I had all of the ingredients, excepting cucumber).  I also added salt and pepper.

So pretty, right?

Sadly, we did not enjoy it one bit.  It is one of the worst things I have ever made.  We mainly picked out the strawberries.

I'm wondering if perhaps our pea shoots were too mature to be eaten raw.  The pictures on the Pea Shoot website appeared to have much smaller leaves.  The tendrils and stems were very hard to chew.  Dan deemed it "too raw" and I said it was "too much work to eat."  Both were apt descriptions.

Next time, I'll cook the pea shoots.
(but that balsamic-honey-strawberry combo was lovely)

Tarragon

We've been down this road before: what to do with tarragon?

This plant continues to really flourish and I can't bring myself to uproot it even though I seem to use like 6 pieces a year.  I had to give it a major trim yesterday because it was starting to shade some of my other herbs.  I decided to go ahead and make something out of it - something that would use quite a bit of it and was easy to do.  Tarragon vinegar!

You will note 3 jars... one for me, and one for each of my sisters if they read this post!  Just checking to see if you are following, ladies...

I found multiple recipes online and all were very similar and very simple.  Perfect!  Here is what you will need if you'd like to make this yourself:

• fresh tarragon
• vinegar (I used white vinegar since it is what I had on hand... white wine vinegar would certainly impart a more delicate flavor, and I also saw some recipes using apple cider vinegar)
• a clean jar (or several - I used 3 pint-sized jars as I was dealing with a major heap of tarragon!)

Wash the tarragon and allow to dry slightly - while I doubt it matters for recipe purposes if the leaves are totally dry, it does make it a lot easier to remove them from the stalks if they are not clinging to your fingers while trying to do it! 

Fill each jar or container about 1/2 full with tarragon leaves.  Then muddle (or "smush") the leaves with a wooden spoon or other utensil.  This will release some of the flavorful oils.

Pour vinegar over the leaves until the jar is almost full and the leaves are submerged.

Close up the jars and store in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks (I have these on a shelf in our basement pantry).

This makes an excellent addition to any homemade salad dressing!

Sunday centerfold

This is the clematis plant that is climbing up our deck.  The flowers are gorgeous!