2012 - Vates Kale with Beet Greens

Wow!  I can't believe it has only been a month since I planted everything in the Raised Garden.  Although the Kale was a transplant from Planters, I am glad to have that early start to get my culinary on. 

 The first thing I have been enjoying with the Kale is a substitute for lettuce until my Mesclun is ready.

The Snow Peas and Sugar Snaps Sprouts are also my favorites so far.  They are great to munch on fresh.  Follow the vine down to the second set of leaves and break off just above to make a great snack.  They taste like the peas that they will become with a bit of a twist.  The sprouts that are first emerging are sweetest and less fibrous.

A new found use for the Kale is a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com, Kale Chips.  Yes, they come out crispy.  Of course, I changed the recipe since I did not have olive oil since the bottle we bought at Hy-Vee is impossible to open... I regress, and lacked in Seasoning Salt.  I used Vegetable Oil, Garlic Powder, Sea Salt, and Red Pepper.  Go lightly on the salt and red pepper.  I think I overloaded on the salt and am feeling icky because of it.  Otherwise, this is a really good way to get rid of some Kale if it is overgrowing in your yard.  It's a easy and quick recipe.  I also added Red Beet Greens and did they well.