Tag: kale

Garden Rx

Posted on by Mary
Flourishing favas before the squall that knocked them off their feet.
Flourishing favas before the squall that knocked them off their feet.

Last evening I returned home from a stormy (for San Diego standards) day to discover my precious fava beans completely toppled over from the heavy winds. My first reaction was “is there a trauma doctor in the house?!” I have been babying these beans, planting them from seeds and watching them flourish far beyond my expectations.

Fallen angels.
Fallen angels.

Tiny green fingerling beans are even starting to lengthen and grow from their sweet white flower petals.

This little one is well on its way.
This little one is well on its way.

I quickly decided not to give up on them. I would resuscitate them! Delving through my drawers to find something to tie them to the wooden braces already in the beds, I found an ace bandage. Stretchy and soft, I cut it into quarters lengthwise then cut 15 inch pieces. In the rain with darkness closing in, I carefully gathered up sections of the tall stalks and attached them to the posts as gently as possible. By the time I finished, they were again standing tall, although many of their delicate stalks had snapped. When the weather clears, I will add more posts and re-tie the favas to give them more breathing room but for now they are out of the ICU.

Successful surgery. Patients are doing well.
Successful surgery. Patients are doing well.
A kiss to make it better.
A kiss to make it better.

My Italian garden will survive. The good news is that my chicory, Cimi di Rapa, a kind of Italian broccoli and Rapa Toscana are all healthy, thriving and getting ready for an Italian festa using all these veggies I planted from seeds I purchased in Italy. This is the greatest reward of gardening. Bringing a bit of ciao back home.

Chicory or Chicoria whose celery/fennel stalks are a springtime staple in Italy.
Chicory or Cicoria whose celery/fennel stalks are a springtime staple in Italy.
Cima di Rapa, bottom, romaine, left and kale on the right. A salad a day keeps the doctor away!
Cima di Rapa, bottom, romaine, left and kale on the right. A salad a day keeps the doctor away!
Garden freshness, just picked and ready for a dinner creation.
Garden freshness, just picked and ready for a dinner creation.

That night I celebrated my successful surgery with a sauté of my garden goodness – swiss chard, two varieties of kale, parsley, thyme, shallots and shiitake mushrooms all spooned over some soft and creamy polenta I brought back from Lucca. The perfect meal for a rainy day. It soothed my soul and reminded me how good everything tastes when it is just out of the heart of the garden. Heart to heart. Benissimo!

DSCN5578Ciao and Love for now,

Maria

Harvesting Goodness

Posted on by Mary

ImageMy daily catch!

Most of you know the three things I love most (besides my dogs!). They are gardening, travel, food and cooking. I’ve decided to pull these passions together to change the flavor of my blog slightly. Because it is creating such joy in my life, I will bring my garden more into focus, sharing with you its beauty and bounty. Its influence on me is changing my life in tiny increments. Each new sprout, flower of budding fruit and even weed give pause for admiration and awe. To be able to harvest, daily if I wish, and eat this freshness of nature, is teaching me to appreciate life’s abundance.

” Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf.” Tagore

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Swiss Chard, Lactino Kale & Italian Kale – all cozy cousins!

My seeds of Italian Kale, Lactino Kale and Swiss Chard are presently producing in abundance. Every night, in order to honor their appearance, I come home and must devise a way to cook these bold greens. Here are two recipes I created. They are both delicious, filled with nutrients and gorgeous on the plate.

Walnut Kale

Print Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • ½ Cup toasted walnuts crumbled slightly
  • 2 Tbls. Olive oil
  • ½ Cup sliced mushrooms or more if you love mushrooms like I do
  • 3 Cups coarsely chopped kale or any mixture of fresh hearty greens like chard
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • ½ Cup sliced fresh fennel about 1”long by 1/3” wide
  • Walnut Oil

Method
 

  1. Toast walnuts over medium heat just until slightly browned.
  2. Heat olive oil to medium and add the mushrooms, sautéing just until soft.
  3. Stir in the kale and garlic and cook over medium. Kale will wilt slightly but you don’t need to overcook. If the pan seems dry, add about ¼ cup of warm water.
  4. Stir in the fennel and let it heat through.
  5. Serve as a side dish or you could mound it over brown rice – yum.
  6. Drizzle with walnut oil to finish the flavor. A sprinkling of Fleur de Sel would also be nice!

 

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I love the “cooked” flavor of toasted walnuts.

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Mise en place.

 

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Healthy and beautiful to eat!

Omelet with Kale Sauté

Print Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbls. Olive oil
  • ¼ Cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 Cup coarsely chopped kale or like I did combo of kale, chard and some baby broccoli
  • 2 eggs beaten with a pinch of salt and pepper
  • Slivered basil
  • Optional: cheese of your choice

Method
 

  1. In a small sauté pan, heat the oil to medium heat and add the mushrooms. Cook until soft. Place mushrooms in a small bowl to use later.
  2. Add kale to the pan and sauté gently just until wilting.
  3. Remove and place in separate bowl.
  4. Add some butter to the pan, heat to medium high and when hot, pour in the egg. Rotate the pan, lifting the cooked parts of the eggs to let the uncooked portion run underneath and cook. Put a lid on the pan for 2 minutes to finish cooking.
  5. Unmold the omelet onto a plate.  Sprinkle with cheese if you like. Pile the kale in the middle, sprinkle the basil on top. Voila! This is really tasty.

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Be creative! Add Herbs de Provence to the eggs. Add onions or shallots or green onions. The world is your oyster.

My hope is that you will be inspired to plant, even the tiniest garden or even just a few seeds and see how they influence your life. Planting seeds of goodness – isn’t that what it’s all about?

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Sparky having a zen moment in our garden.

Avec l’amour de ma maison à la vôtre avec l’amour, le bonheur et la bonne santé  (With love from my house to yours with love, happiness and good health)

Merci mille fois! (Thanks a  million!)

Leaves of Green

Posted on by Mary
50 shades of green
50 shades of green

Living in southern California has its perks and one of them is being able to grow vegetables and fruits year round. My summer garden produced less than an abundance of tomatoes, probably due to the unusual heat, and the zucchini took over. I much prefer my winter garden that is thriving in the cool weather. Bunches of soft and ruffly butter lettuce flourishing in shades of eggplant and emerald, co-mingling with stately romaine which ranges from soft grassy greens to more pronounced pea greens.

Dense ruffles of buttercrunch
Dense ruffles of Butterhead “Marvel of Four Seasons”

The oak leaf lettuce, their tender fingers of olive fusing to deep wine, is almost hidden underneath the large, sculpted circles of nasturtium leaves.

Delicate oakleaf hiding under the umbrella of nastursiams.
An umbrella of Nasturtiums pushed aside to reveal delicate and tender Oak Leaf Blend.

At every glance, my eyes engage in the vibrant colors and I am grateful these greens have chosen to share their beauty with me.

My bounty is shared with neighbors and friends and I am always finding new ways to introduce them into my cuisine du jour. One thing I have done for years is to layer greens underneath my main course, creating a one dish meal. In this photo, I made gnocchi with a fresh garden tomato sauce and mounded it on top of a bed of lightly sautéed greens. I love how the border of green frames the main course.

Butternut gnocchi hugging greens.
Butternut squash gnocchi hugging greens.

Often times I just use salad greens without cooking them. The food heats and wilts the greens and infuses them with the dominant flavor.

Lemon risotto warming two varieties of freshly picked baby kale and swiss chard greens.
Lemon risotto warming two varieties of freshly picked baby “Nero Toscana” kale, “Red Winter” kale and “Ruby Red” swiss chard greens.
Fresh greens topped with winter pears and a drizzle of homemade balsamic glaze. Delectable!
Fresh greens topped with winter pears and a drizzle of homemade balsamic glaze. Delectable!

The options are infinite! Be creative. Love the diversity of baby greens and let your imagination run free.

Am I tempting you to plant your own winter garden? It’s not too late! It really is easy. You can even use one large pot if you have limited space. Visit your local nursery or farmer’s market for starters or start seeds in a sunny window indoors before transplanting in outside beds or pots. I’d love to see how your garden grows. Please share yours with me!

Merci mille fois! (Thanks a  million!)

Mary