This blog post is part of a summer series, focusing on how to prepare and cook produce from a crop share. As a first time Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member, Danielle Calkins, assistant editor-digital for the Home & Garden team, will be testing out fresh recipes bi-weekly as she picks up her crops. You can read about her recipes below, and more about the crops she’ll cook with on the Birds & Blooms blog: Crop Share: Kale
It’s my second week of cooking and preparing the veggies in my crop share—and believe it or not, I’m more in love with it than I was last week when I made spinach meatballs!
In my box, I received a charming bunch of kale that took me by surprise (after the initial intimidation). I’d never had kale; in fact I wasn’t even exactly sure how to eat it. All I knew was that it was healthy. (To learn the health benefits of kale, read by blog post Crop Share: Kale {week 2}.)
I mimicked this recipe for steamed kale and soon found out how delicious it was, too!
I didn’t have a full bunch of kale, since I share my crops between two other girls, but I had enough to make the perfect amount for two servings. I started out by thoroughly washing my kale, as with any other produce from a crop share. Then I chopped away, keeping in mind the bite-size pieces I prefer.
From there I sautéed my kale leaves in a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. The original recipe suggests a Dutch oven, but a simple pan does the trick too. Once the leaves were wilted, which didn’t take long at all considering the tiny bunch I was working with, I added 3 garlic cloves—yes, this is what the full recipe called for, but I figured you can never have enough.
Then I added 2/3 cup water, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (my favorite part!). Once the mixture came to a boil, the original recipe called for 20-25 minutes of covered simmering. While I did cover my kale, it took much less time to cook down because of the amount I was working with; I’d say around 10-15 minutes but test it out along the way.
Once the kale was tender, I removed it from the heat and added a splash of balsamic vinegar, which really was the finishing touch. I’m a fan of adding balsamic vinegar to just about any veggie, especially asparagus—trust me, it’s delicious.
After taking my first bite I was sad to see just how much the kale had wilted down to; it was so tasty that I wanted more. Needless to say, I’m now a fan of using kale to dress up any dish (even if it is just frozen pizza.)
Have you had kale before—or are you a first-timer like me?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m a big fan of either massaged kale salad or kale chips.
I am doing a working share of a csa this year for the first time. Thank you for the kale recipe. I used chopped garlic scapes with the kale and put some in our spaghetti sauce. The kids are used to spinach in their spaghetti, so this was not a far jump. So yummy and healthy! I’ll be checking to see what is next! Have you tried radishes cooked? Really great!
Looks tasty. This is my first time with a CSA also – you should cover beets! I got them in my box and had no idea what to do with them. Although I used the beet greens in a frittata that was tasty but I have no idea what to do with the actual beet greens themselves!
My Mother made Kale Soup when I was a child and my Aunt raised greyhounds.,whenever the dogs would get hurt she would feed them kale soup and they would be able to get back on the track quicker.
I’ve always been an adventurous eater but my kids first enjoyed kale when i grew it in my garden. Imagine my surprise when my picky eater gobbled it up! I guess there’s nothing like picking your own produce!
To respond to the beet green question, i eat them like lettuce in my salad. Delicious! I’ve made salads for friends who were shocked to find out they were eating beet greens! Try TOH’s recipe for roasted beets with rosemary. My favorite! I put the leftover roasted beets in a salad made with the beet greens!
@Food Jaunts,
I have yet to get beets in my crop share, but I absolutely love them! I usually munch on canned beets, however I just tried my hand at roasting fresh beets I picked up from the Farmer’s Market. It was simple, really–I cleaned the beets, removed their greens (saving them for later), then put them on a baking sheet covered with foil. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over your beets, then cover with more foil, creating a sealed packet. Roast your beets in the oven at 375 degrees for 1-2 hours. Once they’re cool, peel off the skin then slice to eat!
I used the beet greens too, by simply washing them thoroughly, then heating them up on the stove with fresh spinach. Once wilted, I added a touch of balsamic vinegar and voila! Healthy and delicious.
I made this kale last night and it was so good. I loved it. I am trying to improve my nutrition and everyone says good things about Kale!
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