Growing Kale Through the Winter

Our gardens may seem to be sleeping for the winter but hardy kales have been flourishing in the protection of our cold frame.

Installing a cold frame in your garden is the perfect way to extend your season and harvest fresh, healthy greens year round.

However, we do recognize that eating the same kale salad or stir fry can get old. Read to the end for a way to mix things up, courtesy of Deanna, creator of an incredible urban homesteading blog called Homestead and Chill.

Deanna may be in sunny California (actually her microclimate is very foggy, but she rarely has to deal with freezing temps!) but her garden can serve as inspiration to us all.

One of Edible Eden’s custom-built coldframes.

The Homestead and Chill front garden. Check out Deanna’s work on Instagram at @deannacat3 and her blog at homesteadandchill.com .

Check out this before and after photo of her front yard and click the image to see more - you’re definitely going to want to check out her full scope of raised beds, fruit trees, and pollinator gardens!

Go for the inspiring photos, but stick around for the recipes, gardening tips, and useful product recommendations.

Speaking of sticking around, thank you for sticking with me through that digression. Back to kale.

Kale is hardy down to temps of 20°F and even tastes sweeter after a frost; that’s thanks to the plant producing sucrose to act as a natural protective antifreeze.

Despite their frost tolerance, kale needs an extra boost of protection to succeed through our winters.

Our temps here in Baltimore usually do drop below 20°F at some point during the winter, although our recent winters have been fairly mild. A cold frame is an extra layer of protection to keep your plants alive during a deep freeze, but it also serves as more than just an insurance policy for the coldest of days.

Kale prefer to grow at temperatures between 50-70°F. In lower temperatures, they go dormant and wait for better conditions to grow. A cold frame can raise temperatures by about 10°F, keeping your kale growing longer in Fall and waking up more quickly in late Winter or Spring!

Your kale will likely still go through a dormancy in the dead of winter, but extending their growth through late Fall/early Winter will allow your plants to grow full enough that you can continue harvesting the existing large leaves until the plants wake up again soon in Late Winter or Early Spring.

Deanna’s recipe below is the perfect (and most delicious) use for mature tougher leaves.

One of Edible Eden’s custom-built coldframes.

Homemade Seasoned Crispy Kale Chips Recipe by Deanna of Homestead and Chill

You’re going to want to check out the full instructions on her blog through the link above for full instructions on how to use your food dehydrator or oven, but here is the ingredient list to get you started:

• 1 large bunch of kale, or about a dozen large leaves

• 1/2 to 1 full tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

• Sea salt or your favorite seasoned salt, to your own taste

• Deanna uses a number of different seasons to keep things interesting, including garlic powder, onion powder, curry or turmeric powder, black pepper, cumin, lemon powder, chili powder, everything-but-the-bagel seasoning, and nutritional yeast for a splash of umami flavor.

• A strainer and mixing bowl, or a salad spinner

• A food dehydrator, or oven and baking sheet

Deanna’s photo of her Homemade Crispy Kale Chips.

Kitchen Sink Summer Salad

Summertime is fully upon us, and summer crops are ripe for the picking. Whether you’re harvesting from your own garden (if not, we can help change that!) or are frequenting your local farmer’s market, it is not a time of year that you want to miss out on.

What to do with all of the cucumbers and tomatoes? So many cucumbers and tomatoes… Eating them fresh off the vine is never a bad option, but maybe sometimes you want to mix things up.

Summertime cucumber harvest.

The Summertime-Harvest Kitchen Sink Salad recipe is here to help.

In full disclosure, this recipe is very easy. We promise that the fresh-from-the-garden flavor explosion won’t reflect the lack of effort.

Ingredients:

• Greens of your choice (Swiss chard is a great summertime green that you can collect from your garden — skip the slimy, bagged grocery store greens!)

• Cucumbers

• Tomatoes

• Peppers - hot and sweet both work!

• Onion

• Olive Oil

• Salt and pepper

• Garden herbs - basil, oregano, parsley, fennel, dill… whatever you have on hand!

• Anything else from your garden! Carrots, baby beets, zucchini… anything but the kitchen sink.

• Optional for Greek-inspired flavors:

  • Lemon

  • Olives

  • Feta cheese

Instructions:

• Top your greens with your selected assortment of veggies, sliced any way you want them!

• When your salad is fully assembled, toss or drizzle with your preferred combination of olive oil, salt + pepper, garden herbs, and optional Greek-inspired ingredients.

• (Told you this was too easy.)

Slicing tips:

• Cucumbers - slice into medallions OR slice lengthwise into quarters or smaller, then slice across the long pieces to make triangular, bite sized cuts

• Tomatoes - cut cherry tomatoes in half, or dice larger tomatoes to the desired size

• Peppers and carrots - slice lengthwise into slivers. Leave them that way, or dice into small squares

• Onions and baby beets - dice or cut into strips, depending on preference (yes, you can eat raw beets, and they are extra good for you that way!)

More cucumbers!

Greek-Inspired Summertime-Harvest Kitchen Sink Salad. Can you spot Minka the Garden Dog sneaking in for a bite?

"Big Flavor Broccoli"

Broccoli is sizing up here in Maryland and we are anticipating the big day when we get to harvest our broccoli heads! As we’ve been waiting, we’ve been searching for recipes for the big day and this recipe from Bon Appetit looks simple and delicious - what could be better?

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. broccoli (about 1 large or 2 medium heads)

• 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• Kosher salt

• 1 small red onion, cut lengthwise into ½"-thick slices

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets

• 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ¼ cup)

• Lemon wedges (for serving)

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 400°. Trim only the very bottom, woody part of broccoli stem. Peel tough outer layer from stem, from the florets down to the end of the stalk. Starting from stem end, cut broccoli at a 45° angle into ¾"-thick slices until you reach the florets. Break florets apart with your hands into bite-size pieces (this avoids getting bitsy trimmings all over the place).

• Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large heatproof skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add broccoli; season with salt. Cook, tossing occasionally, until broccoli is bright green and lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out skillet.

• Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium. Cook onion and garlic, stirring often, until onion is beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add anchovies and cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until broken down and garlic is beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 2 minutes.

• Return broccoli to skillet and toss to coat with oil. Transfer to oven and roast, tossing once, until broccoli is browned and tender, 20–25 minutes. Wrap handle of skillet with a towel before you forget it’s REALLY HOT.

• Scatter Parmesan over hot broccoli. Divide among plates. Serve with lemon wedges alongside.

Beet and Citrus Salad

Around this time of year, I find myself getting tired and weighed down by heavy Winter meat-and-potato meals. My body is ready for Spring and craves fruits and veggies, and lots of them. But, of course, it’s still Winter. Fresh and local produce is limited!

Luckily, I’ve found a remedy - a Winter salad that is the perfect mix of in season and long storage crops and tangy (not-so-local, but certainly seasonal!) citrus. Hearty and filling from roasted beets, the zing of the citrus still picks me up and leaves me feeling fresh. Want to make this an entree rather than a side dish? Serve it on top of a bed of grains!

Winter Beet and Citrus Salad

For the Salad

• 5 medium beets

• 1 medium-large bulb fennel

• 2 large stalks celery

• 1 small shallot

• 2 or 3 pieces of citrus - blood oranges, cara cara oranges, mandarins, and grapefruit all make great choices!

• ½ cup coarsely chopped herbs - whatever leafy herbs you have on hand. Parsley, cilantro, and mint are all perfect!

• 2 cups loosely packed arugula (optional)

For the Dressing

• 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or other light vinegar of choice)

• 2 tsp honey

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400

• Scrub beets well, slice into ¼” - ½” medallions, toss with a drizzle of olive oil (enough so they are coated but not saturated) and a pinch of salt. 

• Roast beets for 25 minutes, turning once, until they are easily pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool. 

• While you wait, slice fennel and celery along the diagonal into long, thin slices. Thinly slice the shallot. Cut or pull citrus into segments (it’s okay if they are messy).

• Mix dressing ingredients with a whisk or fork until fully emulsified.

• Assemble salad, drizzle dressing on top, toss gently to mix, and serve!

Garden Herb Shortbread Cookies

Want to stand out at this year’s cookie exchange? Longing for the flavors of your garden? Pull those dried herbs out to add a twist to a classic shortbread cookie for a simple but unexpected recipe. This is the perfect treat to enjoy with some hot herbal tea on a cold winter day while dreaming of the summer garden....

Some possible flavors: thyme, lemon-thyme, lavender, rosemary, sage, tarragon, anise-hyssop 

Add these on their own or in combinations with one another or with lemon, lime, or orange zest

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• Generous pinch of coarse kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped herb of choice 

• 1 tablespoon of citrus zest of choice (optional)

Directions

• Cream butter and powdered sugar until smooth

• Beat in any citrus zest, chopped herbs, and vanilla extract as desired

• Mix in flour and salt until just combined

• Transfer dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, roll out into a disk, cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap and continue to roll out to 1/4th inch thick disk. Chill for 20-30 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 350

• After chilling, cut dough into desired shapes with knife or floured cookie cutter

• Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown

Seasonal Recipe: Squash and Bean Minestrone

The perfect transitional dish from Bon Appetit, this veggie heavy soup is fresh enough for a late Summer night but hearty enough to warm you up on a crisp Fall day. 

Note: the original recipe calls for ham hock and chicken broth. We’re adapting it for our vegetarian friends, but you can find the link to the Bon Appetit version here.

Image and recipe courtesy of bonappetit.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound dried navy or cannellini (white kidney) beans

• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil plus more for drizzling

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, finely chopped

• 2 small celery stalks, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, cut into ½” pieces

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1” pieces

• 8 cups vegetable broth

• 1 pound small pasta (such as tiny shells or pipette)

• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

• 2 bunches flat-leaf spinach, thick stems removed

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Place navy beans in a large pot; add cold water to cover by 2”. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour.

• Heat ¼ cup oil in another large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, leeks, celery, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 20 minutes.

• Add squash, green beans, navy beans (with soaking liquid), and broth, to pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; reduce heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until navy beans are tender, 1½–2 hours.

• When soup is almost finished cooking, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. oil.

• Add spinach and parsley to soup. Divide soup into bowls and add pasta.* Enjoy!

*If storing soup, be sure to store pasta and soup separately, always adding pasta just before serving. This will keep the pasta from getting soggy. 

Seasonal Recipe: Falafel Spice Tomato Flatbread

As a final goodbye to vibrant Summer produce, we’re savoring this flavorful and seasonal flatbread from Bon Appetit. Do justice by those final ripe tomatoes, the last of your crisp cucumbers, and that medley of aromatic garden herbs one last time before next Summer. 

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/falafel-spiced-tomatoes-and-chickpeas-on-flatbread

INGREDIENTS

• Flat bread, naan, or pocketless pitas (original recipe includes instructions, but you can use store bought, too!)

Tomatoes and Chickpeas

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon sumac (if unavailable, you can substitute lemon zest)

• ½ teaspoon each of crushed red pepper flakes, ground coriander, and ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, any color, thinly sliced

• 1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced

• ½ cup parsley leaves

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Yogurt Sauce

• 1 Persian cucumber, peeled, chopped

• ¾ cup plain yogurt

• ½ cup each of coarsely chopped fresh mint and parsley

• Hot sauce

RECIPE PREPARATION

Tomatoes and Chickpeas

• Combine garlic, sumac, red pepper flakes, coriander, cumin, and 1 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle garlic mixture evenly over top. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

• Toss chickpeas and vinegar in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Mash chickpeas with a fork until about half are smashed. Add shallot, parsley, and oil and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Yogurt Sauce

• Combine cucumber, yogurt, mint, and parsley in a medium bowl; season with hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes.

Assemble

• Top each flatbread with yogurt sauce, chickpea mixture, and tomatoes. Drizzle with more oil and season well with salt and pepper.

Garlic Scapes

It’s been over 6 months since you’ve put your garlic in the ground. Maybe you’re tired of the patch of straw reserved for garlic that could be full of tomatoes right now. Don’t get discouraged!

Just about now, your garlic will form scapes - what is a garlic scape and why should you be excited? A garlic scape is the long, curly shoot sent from the top of the garlic leaves to hold the garlic flower. For our purposes, we want to cut the garlic scapes before they flower. This helps the plant redirect energy to forming a bulb rather than forming a flower and seeds. But that’s not the only reason we pluck off the scapes -- they’re delicious! Enjoy their garlic-y flavor raw, cooked, pickled, or grilled. Really, they’re delicious in anything.

Need some garlic scape inspiration? Try these:

Grilled or Roasted Scapes

One of the simplest and purest ways to enjoy garlic scapes is simply tossing them in olive oil, sea salt, and fresh pepper and throwing them on the grill or in a 400 degree oven until golden brown on the outside and just tender on the inside. Be sure to flip them halfway through to cook both sides.  The garlic flavor is mild, sweet, and tangy - the perfect side for your Summer barbecues.

Sauteed Scapes with Lemon

Looking for something slightly more refined? Cut the scapes into 2 inch spears and toss into a pan over medium heat with a pat of butter. Sautee until bright green and just tender, add a splash of water (2 tablespoons or so should do) and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, top with sea salt, fresh pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with fish or on top of rice.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Feeling like a garlic scape pro? Try making pesto to slather on your pasta or chicken.

You’ll need:

1 cup garlic scapes, sliced crosswise (about 10 to 12 scapes)

¼ cup raw sunflower seeds, pine nuts, or walnuts

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup basil leaves

Juice of one lemon

 Pulse the garlic scapes in a food processor for 15 seconds. Add ingredients in order, processing for another 15-30 seconds after adding each. Once everything has been added, process until pesto reaches desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add more olive oil. Add salt and additional lemon juice to taste.

Chickweed Pesto

Last month, our team celebrated the Spring season by getting out of the garden and learning about edible wild plants! Our operations manager, Brody, invited us to visit his property and learn about the abundance of food growing there (both cultivated and wild). Among the “weeds”, we found chickweed, nettles, watercress, garlic-mustard, and violets - all of which are edible and have unique, delicious flavors. We enjoyed the medley of greens sautéed with some of Brody’s home grown Shiitakes and he graciously supplemented the bounty we collected with some chickweed pesto that he had made a few days earlier.

We loved the pesto so much that we thought we’d share it here - so go grab a few handfuls of chickweed from the backyard (or woods, or farmers market) and let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup walnuts, cashews, or pine nuts

• 2-3 cloves garlic minced

• 3 cups chickweed loosely packed

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. (A blender can be used instead, but the chickweed should be finely chopped first)

2. If it's too thick, slowly drizzle in a bit more olive oil.

3. Keep refrigerated. Eat or freeze within 3-4 days.

This recipe is courtesy of www.growforagecookferment.com

Garden to Table Recipe

Simple Roasted Vegetables

 

3-5 Fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced into 1 inch slices.
1 large Celeriac, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2-3 turnips, peeled and sliced
Broccoli broken into flowerettes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

 

Never underestimate the ability of a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and 45 minutes or so in a hot over to transform lesser known (or loved) vegetables into something you will need to beat the kids off with a rolling pin if there are to be any left for dinner!

Some of my favorites are fennel, celeriac and turnips as well as old stand bys like broccoli and cauliflower.
Preheat over to 425. Cut your vegetables into distinctive bite size pieces, put in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, Salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Arrange on a sheet tray. Bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on the vegetable, until crispy around the edges and soft in the middle. Fennel in particular takes a good long while to turn all soft and caramelized but believe me…it’s worth the wait.

To finish it off, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with meat, fish, tofu, or anything else you can think of.
 

Fall Fennel Slaw

I love fennel; it’s one of my favorite fall veggies and grows great in our climate. One of the best ways to eat it is raw and whole like an apple. My next favorite way is in this mouth popping salad:

Ingredients:

2 fennel bulbs

1 bunch flat leaf parsley

half a lemon

good olive oil

salt

pine nuts

pomegranate seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. shave the fennel crossways so you get very fine shreds

2. coarsely chop the parsley

3. toast pine nuts

4. combine parsley and fennel shavings, drizzle with EVOO, lemon and salt, top with pine nuts.

Alternatively, if you're dealing with confirmed fennel hater, convince them to try this:

Ingredients

one inch thick slices of fennel

parmesan cheese

olive oil

Instructions

1. Arrange slices of fennel on a sheet tray, drizzle with oil sprinkle with salt

2. bake at 400 until soft, about 30 mins

3. cover with a thick covering of parmesan and continue to roast for another 15 minutes until caramelized and crusted with cheese

4. Just try to keep them on the serving dish...

Cool Cucumber Soup

Most of us get distracted at some point in the season and fail to harvest some of those cucumbers- it’s hard to keep up with them when they really start fruiting! Here is a solution for those overgrown, seedy slicing cukes that are no good for pickling or salads. I like to serve in a small glasses with a crouton on top but it tastes just as good in a bowl!

Ingredients

2-3 large slicing cucumbers, peeled, de-seeded, diced

1 quart your favorite unflavored yoghurt

Handful fresh mint and /or dill and chives

1 clove garlic

1 small shallot

Salt to taste

Squeeze of lemon or vinegar

drizzle of honey

Instructions

1. Mix cucumber, shallot, yoghurt, minced herbs and garlic, salt, honey and lemon.

2. Blend in a blender or use immersion blender to puree.

3. Mix well and allow to sit for an hour or more.

4. Adjust consistency and seasoning as needed. You can use milk or veg stock to thin it out.

Josh's Favorite Beet Recipe

Ever wonder what to do with beets? Well, this colorful root crop starts sizing up in late spring and can be grown all summer and into fall. Options for preparation are diverse and numerous but this is by far my favorite!

This makes a great side-dish to serve with fish or chicken or a beautiful addition to a meal of summer salads

Ingredients

1-2 bunches beets, golden, chioggia or red, with greens

2 tablespoons honey

2 table spoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons cooking oil (olive, vegetable, grape seed- your preference)

1 block feta cheese

1 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. First remove beet greens, wash well and put back in the fridge.

2. Trim tails and noses off beets and put in pot of water. Simmer on the stove for approximately 45 minutes or until fork tender (you can also steam them if you prefer).

3. While the beets are still hot, put them into a bowl with cold water and use your hands to slip off the skins.

4. Once the beets are skinned and cool enough to handle, slice them and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle them with the oil, honey and balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.

5. Next, put them on a sheet tray and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

6. While the beets are roasting, melt some butter in a sauté pan, chop the beet greens and sauté in butter until soft. (You can also steam the greens if you are trying to avoid the butter.)

7. Now spread the cooked greens on a plate or platter.

8. Next remove the roasted beets from the oven and carefully arrange on top of the greens.

9. Lastly, crumble feta cheese all over the dish and serve warm.