Posted in animals, chicken, eggs, frugal living, kale, tagged animals, eggs, Food, organic on July 4, 2011| 8 Comments »
The chicks arrived a week ago. My first opportunity to take pictures came on Friday, when the chicks graduated to being pullets. I had some old kale in the garden that was infested with caterpillars, so I cut and gave it to my pullets as a graduation present. They loved it.
Okay, gals, it's time for your group shot.
Posted in broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cold frames, Food, kale, organic food, organic gardening, radish, winter gardening, tagged cold frame, environment, Food, nature, organic gardening, snow, vegetable tunnel, winter, winter gardening on February 8, 2010| 6 Comments »
After more than an inch of ice and at least half a foot of snow precipitated on us and then lingered for four days in late January and early February, I had my doubts about whether my veggie tunnels would still have viable veggies in them. Temperatures, after all, have been running about ten degrees below normal for several weeks, and adding ice and snow on top of that did not bode well for plants that like sunshine. It took some time to brush off the snow and break off the ice, but I’m delighted to report that almost everything survived. Given that it was still quite cold when I took photographs, I didn’t want to take the tunnels all the way off, so “after” photographs are through the tunnels.
On November 29:
January 31:
Are those really veggie tunnels under all of that snow and ice?
Yes, and those are cold frames in the distance.
February 1: time to take off the snow
They’re looking pretty sad. Did anything survive?
Yes! the veggies live!
I also dug several radishes and some carrots from the cold frames yesterday, so those too continue to thrive.
We’ve already got at least four inches more snow today (February 8), and radar shows a heavy band of snow moving in within a few hours and then more overnight, for a total of 8-12 inches. I’ll sleep easy through this storm, though, knowing that my winter garden is surviving, snug under its tunnels of veggie love.
If you’re in the path of this latest storm (or any other) make sure you tuck in your veggies before you tuck in yourself.
Posted in beer, cabbage, kale, leeks, potatoes, whole grains, tagged baking, cooking, culture, Food, history, recipes, Robert Burns, rumpledethump, Scottish food on January 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Today is Robert Burns’s birthday, and since I’m both of Scottish descent and lacking meal ideas, I decided to dedicate tonight’s dinner to Scottish traditional food. We’re having rumpledethump (onion, mashed potato, and cabbage casserole), smoked salmon, and oat bannocks alongside Bellhaven Scottish ale. I may also add leek and tattie soup–better known as potato-leek soup. Let me know if you are interested in recipes. I’ll post them if they’re good!
Posted in beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, cold frames, gardening, kale, leeks, organic gardening, sausage, winter gardening, tagged Food, freeze, gardening, kale, leeks, sausage, winter gardening on January 7, 2010| 4 Comments »
Our winter garden has had a really challenging week, and it’s only getting worse. I’ve taken all of the basic precautions, but when temperatures drop well below freezing and stay there for days, I know I’m going to lose some things. The first thing I did was cut a whole bunch of kale and pull the most vulnerable leeks and made a Tuscan sausage, leek, and kale soup. I also dug some baby turnips that were on the outer edge of the cold frame. I’ll roast those later this week. Where ice and snow have accumulated, I’ve left it on my cold frames and plastic coverings; the snow will be a better insulator than the glass and plastic alone. Tomorrow I’ll pile pine straw and leaves around everything that I can, including my vegetable tunnels. The good news is that, although some of what I’m growing will freeze, most of it will grow back, given a few weeks. I’ll just have to be patient!
Posted in acorn squash, butternut squash, carrots, cast iron, comfort food, Cooking And Baking, CSA, farmer's market, Food, gardening, health, Italian, kale, leeks, locavore, organic food, organic gardening, potatoes, red pepper, sausage, soup, winter gardening, winter squash, tagged chicken broth, dinner, environment, family, Food, health, healthy, Italian sausage, kale, leeks, milk, recipes, soup, turkey stock, Tuscan soup, Zuppa on January 6, 2010|
Copyright 2010 Ozarkhomesteader. Posting of short excerpts with a full link is welcome.
I’m pledged on this blog to post recipes that are mostly created using local, seasonal ingredients. One of our new favorites among winter soups is Zuppa, an Italian soup from Tuscany that uses lots of kale, leeks, and Italian sausage. I served it last night to my father, who thought kale was just a funny garnish. He loved this soup! Zuppa is a great way to introduce non-kale eaters to kale.
Here’s what you’ll need for 3 good servings:
I prepared this soup in a 2-quart, 8-inch wide cast iron Dutch oven. The cast iron lets you cook the leeks and garlic at a very low setting without burning them, and then it lets you simmer for a while. The 2-quart size is ideal for a family of 2-3 people.
Begin by cleaning the leek. Slice off the root. Slice off all about about an inch of the green part (the top). (Remember, they’ll go great in a pureed soup!) Slice the leeks lengthwise to clean, leafing through the layers to look for dirt. Now slice the leek in thin slices across the grain. Saute the leek slices in olive oil. Now prep the garlic and add it too, being careful not to burn it. Dice the potatoes and add them to the mix, stirring regularly. Now start adding your stock. Let the potatoes cook in the stock for about 20 minutes until they are soft. Now add your sliced sausage. Let the soup simmer while you prepare the kale. (If you wanted to start this soup well in advance, you could prepare it up to this point even the day before.)
Wash the kale thoroughly and remove any tough stems. Now chop it fine. When you do, you should notice the sweet aroma, like fresh-cut spring grass. (My dad agrees that it smells like fresh-cut spring grass!) Kale is an absolutely amazing food, one of the healthiest ever. One cup boiled, for example, contains 1327% of the USDA recommended daily value of Vitamin K, 192% of the RDV of Vitamin A, and 88% of the RDV of Vitamin C, all for just 36 calories! Read more about kale’s health benefits here.
About 10-20 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup, add the chopped kale. Let the soup simmer for 10-20 minutes until it is soft but still bright green. Add about a cup of milk or cream. Stir well, heat through, and serve with good, crusty bread, roasted winter squash, and a nice salad of winter greens!
Ozark Homesteader 