Other things I'm already considering growing are tomatoes and various herbs - mint, oregano, parsley, cilantro, thyme...depending on how things go, I may expand my garden to grow more items. But for now I think that sticking to kale, tomatoes and a few small herbs is a good way to start. However, I'm always open to suggestions....
I have checked out a few places that sell vegetable plants ready to transplant, and I haven't seen any dino kale, so I'm pretty sure that I am going to order some seeds. Seeds of Change seems like a decent website for ordering seeds - but what do I know? Maybe I'll pick some up locally instead. Advice about this would be great too.
Finally, in case you haven't tried making it yet, here are instructions for making crispy kale.
Take a bunch of loose kale leaves (discard any super-thick stems) and spread them over an ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure that the leaves are totally dry - if you have to wash them, do this way ahead of time so they are completely dry when you are ready to cook them. Fill up the cookie sheet to the brim, since kale shrinks and it's wicked good - it's basically impossible to have too much.
Drizzle the kale w/ a bit of olive oil (no need to do too much) and add some salt, pepper or other spices. Sometimes we stick w/ just salt and pepper, but sometimes we add things like coriander, cumin or even nutritional yeast! Put the cookie sheet in the oven at about 400 degrees - but 350 or 375 is fine too. Cook until the kale starts getting crispy, about 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.
YUM. I am going to make some right now, and maybe I will post a picture.
4 comments:
A friend got me hooked on this kale as well! I use it all the time instead of spinach- most recently in a quiche, and sometimes even on sandwiches that benefit from a little bitterness! I'm so excited to hear about your progress, David!
David- yeah, Colin Orians actually taught me to make kale that way back when I worked for him. It does rock. I haven't made it in a while. You should definitely grow carrots and beets. You just need to make a deep bed and although they are not quick crops they are so flipping delicious and taste way better than anything you buy at the store. Pretty low maintenance too, just weeding. Oooh, and I was also surprised last year how well my broccoli turned out.
Hey David,
Nice blog so far. Even though you're not in New England, don't forget about Johnnys as a seed source....although I just checked, and their dino kale seed crop failed this year. ;-(
also...sugar snap peas?????
http://www.johnnyseeds.com
Are johnny's seeds organic?
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