Did you plant a garden this year, or maybe a tomato plant in a container on your patio? Gardening both flowers and vegetables bring lots of joy, and the benefits are endless, but today It’s Time To Walk The Gardens, and I’ll share a recipe for a lemon vinaigrette to top your kale.
Roz in a row of kale
Kale – The Super Food
This year was the first year I planted kale. Juicing was my introduction to kale years ago. If you’re not familiar with kale, it’s a leaf cabbage with stems and leaves that are tough, hearty and can have a bitter taste. It’s referred to as leaf cabbage because the central leaves do not form a head. I recently read that rubbing or massaging kale leaves breaks down the cellulose structure and can take away some of the bitterness. It also darkens the color. The best part about kale are the vitamins and nutrients it has to offer. In just one cup of kale, you get 329 mg of potassium, 133 % of vitamin A, 134 % vitamin C and 10% B-6. These are the biggies, and the list goes on. You can see the complete list here. Kale offers a concentrated amount of vitamins in just one cup making it the perfect ingredient for a green juice.
Lemon Vinaigrette
Isn’t it fun to create something for dinner with just the ingredients you have on hand, with no trips to the grocery store? That’s exactly what I did for this recipe. I started with lemon and olive oil and knew I needed a little something sweet to balance the kale. The sweet I chose was homemade apricot preserves. The preserves were a gift from my neighbor at Christmas. Thank you, Sandy! Honey or even another jelly can be substituted. I placed the preserves in the microwave for about 15 seconds to make it easier to blend. That was it. From there I added garlic, Dijon mustard and salt, and pepper to taste. Very easy. I would suggest adding the dressing a little at a time. I kept a little to the side to add before serving. The great thing about kale is that it keeps very well for a couple of days in the refrigerator. The salad looked just like that the next day and tasted great! It is a super food! Here is the recipe.
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of apricot preserves (you can use your favorite flavor and change up the amount)
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- feta cheese
- chopped pecans
‘Early Girl’ Tomato Plant
It’s Time To Walk The Gardens
When you visit someone, is it natural for you to take a walk around their garden? In the post “Why Every Garden Is A Victory Garden” I mentioned how this was customary for my family. Admiring a garden and talking about the plants chosen, the weather forecast for the summer and the possibilities of having a decent tomato crop is just what we do. That particular post was at the end of the growing season showing full grown plants and the pictures in this post were taken three weeks after planting. We cut back to just four tomato plants this year, but no worries, my brother Paul (#6) planted 26. WOW!
Raspberry Bushes
Plants From A Friend
I’m very proud of my raspberry plants. They were gifted from our friend Dean, and they were sprouts when planted. This is their second year, and I think harvesting will be more than me standing there eating as I pick. This year I might need a container. I planted them on the south side of our house that is close to the property line, so I thought it was a great use of the space.
Cucumber Plants
My brother Paul (#6) turning the compost pile
Black Gold
I still consider myself a novice at composting. Black gold is the beautiful black compost that you can buy and it’s a non-toxic way to fertilize. We’ve always buried our vegetable trimmings, egg shells and coffee grounds, directly into the garden. Since we’ve moved to town and have large trees, putting in a composting area seemed like the natural thing to do. I’m hoping to eliminate that trip to purchase black gold and create my own. It’s working! I recently got a lesson on turning my compost pile from my brother Paul. He can teach me every week. Ha Ha Ha!!!
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed the pictures and if you’re not eating kale, consider adding it to your diet. What is your favorite thing to plant? If you don’t garden, what’s holding you back? We’d love to hear from you and please consider leaving a comment below.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Rose
