Some good ways to eat kale...

And not even know you are. I never thought I would like the little green leaves. But I grew 2 100' rows of it. Mainly to sell at market. But when they don't all sell, I have to come up with ways to eat it. So here are a few.

I love smoothies. You can put just about anything in a smoothie and add yogurt and honey and put a few big hands full of kale. The blender just chops it up into little tiny green dots. No one will even know that there is a leafy green in their yummy smoothie. Just a great way to get some good green veggie goodness.

Another way is in a Frittata. I love these. I just saute any veggie, like onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, zuchinni, squash, brocolli. Go ahead and whip up your nice fresh eggs from the coop and grate or crumble some good fresh cheese or some you just made. Like Chevre or Feta is great in this. Oh, and have your oven pre heated to about 400. Then a few minutes before adding eggs, put a few big hands full of kale. You can also add Swiss chard and or spinach too. I have done it with all 3. Take off burner and pour eggs all over top and sprinkle cheese all over. Pop in the oven for about 10 minutes, depending on how big it is and how many eggs you put in. When it's not jiggly in the middle, it's done.

A friend told me about this a few weeks ago and I have made it twice already. Brown some good somewhat spicy sausage with chopped onions, peppers, garlic, mushrooms. When brown , add your kale, a few good hands full. While this is sauteing, cook some pasta. I used Gluten Free the 1st time and some good home made sausage from the slaughterhouse where I get my dog bones. It was SO good. And just right spicy. The 2nd time I used Jimmy Dean regular and it was not nearly as good. I had to add some Creole seasoning to spice it up. So when pasta is done, drain and pour sausage-kale mixture over it. And enjoy! It is even better the next day as leftovers.

My favorite way to cook all that kale is to add to collard greens with a big ole smoked ham bone. You talk about some flippin' good food. Right there is all ya need for a good meal. Well, maybe a good cast iron pan of corn bread slathered in home made butter.

And of course it can be added to any soup too. I had made some chicken and rice and added some kale to it. I liked it.

So go pick some kale and get creative! And healthy while you're at it.

This is Crazy

So yesterday I was having lunch with a friend at one of our little family type restaurants in town. I know the owner, so asked to speak to her. I wanted to know when they would be wanting fresh local produce. She said they are not allowed to buy anything from anyone who is not from a certified operation. She said I could become one of those, but it would cost a fortune plus take forever. I just think this is so crazy.

Ya know what the really crazy stupid part to this is? That those very same people who eat the food that comes from these massive farms, can go to a local farmer's market and buy better stuff. So what is the big deal, people who make all these crazy stupid rules???? Really! I wanna know.

Making Soap

I just made 2 new batches of soap. They are on the table all wrapped up til morning. I made the first batch with lard, olive oil and coconut oil. I have been wanting to make a soap using lard for a long time and finally just did it. I added Lemongrass EO and then the zest of 2 lemons. It's a pretty yellow color already so I can't wait to see how it looks after it's cured.

The 2nd batch is just a vegetable base that I am going to cure a few weeks then remill it and add goat milk and Patchouli and Sweet Orange EO. I LOVE this soap.

I have also wanted to make a soap using beef tallow. I have heard that it's VERY nasty and stinky and to NOT melt the fat in the house. I do have a little house next door with a kitchen. I may just do it over there. I've been saving my beef fat when I get bones from the slaughterhouse for the dogs. So I have several bags of fat in the freezer. Just need to make tallow now. Any tips or hints from anyone who has done this before?

I also went into the chicken coop and shoveled up buckets of wonderful comopted chicken s*** to side dress all my gardens with. This is some of the nicest "dirt" on this property. I use all my sheep and goat manure too. Along with the straw and hay they drop. So the gardens are looking really good right now. Especially after all that nice rain yesterday,

Farmer's market was pretty good. There were only 5 of us selling. I sold more soap and rolls than greens. That's ok though. I love them. I bought a bag of fresh collards so I'll cook them with some kale. So had a good day. But it wears me out.