Kale

Today was the final day in prepping our garden. Today was the day we put the seeds Sara had procured for us into the ground. After today, we no longer have a plot of dirt but rather we have something with endless possibilities.

                We had the largest gathering of gardeners come to do this last part.  We divided up the bed, following Sara’s instructions to draw lines into the soil to drop the seeds into.  I was handed kale to plant.

                I was first acquainted with kale when I attempted the Paleo Diet back in the fall.  I had never heard of the plant before; to me the name kale brings to mind seaweed and other aquatic plants more likely to be found on the ocean floor than on a plate. The leafy plant even resembles seaweed, or at least it does to me.  However, I give anything a go. 

                I found with the right seasoning and the right mindset, kale is not all that bad. I have never understood why people go to great lengths to make their food taste like something else, for instance, companies go out of their way to substitute meat with other, healthier foods, but still keep that meat taste.  A veggie burger is never going to taste like a juicy cheeseburger. If I am going to eat a veggie burger, I think it is easier to enter into the venture thinking this is a veggie burger, not a cheeseburger.  

                I hope the kale grows, both because it would add to the list of ingredients I have available for the summer, but also because I do not want it to be my fault if it does not!

(Here is a pretty easy and delicious recipe I found for kale):

KALE-WRAPPED DATES WITH ALMONDS

Ingredients

 1 bunch kale, stems removed and discarded

 1 pound dates

 1 cup whole roasted unsalted almonds

 Directions

1. Tear each kale leaf into two halves.

2. Split the dates in half, removing the pit. Place an almond in each date half in the space left by the pit. Wrap each date half in a kale leaf half; pierce each with a toothpick to keep wrapped.