Veggie Tales

The over-wintered kale has bolted. It's sort of alien looking right now, but I'd like to collect seed, so I've let quite a bit of it go. The yellow flowers are kind of pretty. And if I end up with a whole bed full of  kale next year, I don't think I'll be complaining. ;)

This relatively ugly brown patch is a "three sisters" planting (ignore the rest of the ugliness back here - I've got plans for it, but it's going to take me another year or so before I get things under control). I put the corn in over the weekend and am waiting to see something sprouting. Squash and beans will go on once the corn pops up (hopefully the corn pops up!). I'm sure there are more productive ways to get a crop, but it sounded like an interesting experiment and I had the space for it.

The first buds are just barely visible on the "Principe Borghese" tomato.

Overwintered Kale

Much to my surprise, some of last year's kale made it through the winter. Once the snow had melted, I started cleaning up some of the beds and was going to yank out the thick, gnarly stalks from last year's kale. And then I saw it - tiny little leaves popping out of the stalk. I knew kale could be overwintered in milder climates, but I never gave it much thought here. I'm curious to see if it will flower and set seed this year. I'd love to have a huge patch of it that just keeps coming back forever! I have a friend that loves this soup, so I thought I'd give it a try with the first cutting of kale.

From All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 6 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch collard greens - rinsed, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir in onion and salt; cook until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in lentils, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in water, then bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add collard greens, and cook until wilted, about 10 minutes. When the lentils are tender, stir in the collard greens and season with cumin, cinnamon, and garlic; allow to simmer 10 more minutes. Stir in lemon juice before serving.