Posts Tagged ‘ kale ’

Gardenland! 07 May 2008 at 1:20 pm by Jason 261 views

I’m sure a lot of you out there have been seeing the cost of food rise in the stores, and if you’re someone like me who has started eating healthier, you’ve probably noticed the veggies having a pretty sharp increase in cost. Even Barack Obama said (while on a farm in Iowa):

Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula? I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.

While I don’t eat arugula that often, I have noticed that the peppers I used to pay just $2 - $3 for, are now closer to $4 - $5. While it’s not a major difference, I’ve actually cut back on buying so many vegetables lately. So where am I going with all this “veggie” talk? Down to my new garden, actually!

Since I haven’t been feeling good, and since it’s been warm out, it was suggested I restart my garden that I’ve had on my balcony, except this time grow food instead of just flowers! Check out the start of my crops:

Siam Queen Thai Basil:

Thai Basil

Flat-Leaf Italian Parsley:

Parsley

Garlic Chives:

Garlic Chives

Winter Savory (This + Lamb = Best):

Winter Savory

Kale (Mmmm… Kale):

Kale

Purple Bell Peppers:

Purple Bell Pepper

Fresno Peppers:

Fresno Pepper

San Marzano Tomatoes:

San Marzano Tomatoes

Brandywine Tomatoes:

Brandywine Tomatoes

Now… with all those out of the way, I mentioned a bit back that I got an AeroGarden and even had a pic of my Purple Basil sprout. Anyways… with my cat being bad and trying to eat it, and with it being nice outside, I thought I’d attempt to transplant the herbs to soil. Will it work? I dunno. At worst, I’m left with an empty spot I can plant flowers. At best… more food! Anyway, check ‘em out!

Purple Basil:

Purple Basil

Italian Basil:

Italian Basil

Mint:

Mint

Italian Parsley:

Parsley

Chives:

Chives

Neat, huh? Amazingly, for the most part, the plants themselves cost less (or the same price) as the veggie in the store. So, assuming they grow well, if I can get two peppers and two tomatoes, they’ve paid for themselves and I don’t have to pick up any on shopping days! How sweet is that? Now, I did get some flowers… I can’t have a garden without Marigolds for Jess:

Marigolds

I’ll probably make a post in the coming days to let everyone know about the transplanting of the herbs from the AeroGarden. I figure if they live, I’ll explain what I did for others to try. If they die, well, it’s sad and I’ll explain what I attempted.

Anyway, there is the start of my garden! Pretty cool, I think! Now all I have to do is take care of it and see if we get some payoff!!



+ My favorite new veggie! By Jason 27 March 2008 at 7:32 pm 149 views 1 Comment

Do you know what this is?

Kale!

This, my friends, is Kale. Kale is a very scary looking and sounding green vegetable, but I’m dreadfully attached to it now. While it’s not that popular now, most people in their 80s are probably quite familiar with it, as it was a staple during World War II.

Kale was included in the Dig for Victory campaign as a vegetable that was easy to grow and provided important nutrients to supplement meagre diets during rationing.

Amazingly it looks like it’s trying to make a comeback in Britain, so I want to see it make a come back here in the US as well! I think with the current lack of vegetables in our diet, Americans need to start eating something like this… I mean, check it out:

It retains the rich mixture of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that made it a vital ingredient in keeping the nation healthy in troubled times.

There is a growing body of evidence showing those raised on a wartime diet, where many fatty and sugary foods were either unavailable or rationed, were considerably healthier and fitter than their modern-day counterparts.

“What vitamins and minerals does Kale contain,” you’re asking yourself… I can tell. So, let’s find out, shall we? Here is the nutrition for one cup of chopped Kale (according to Fitday):

Calories - 33.5
Total Fat - 0.5g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 28.81mg
Potassium - 299.49mg
Total Carbohydrate - 6.71g
Dietary Fiber - 1.34g
Protein - 2.21g
Vitamin A - 119 %
Vitamin C - 134 %
Calcium - 9 %
Iron - 6 %
Vitamin E - 1 %
Thiamin - 4 %
Riboflavin - 4 %
Niacin - 3 %
Folate - 5 %
Vitamin B-5 - 1 %
Vitamin B-6 - 9 %
Phosphorus - 4 %
Magnesium - 6 %
Zinc - 2 %
Copper - 10 %

Is that not incredible? It also contains so much Vitamin K it’s scary! This is one of the best veggies on the planet and amazingly almost no one I’ve talked to around here knows what it is. Kale tastes similar to cabbage… more like “greens” such as mustard or collard, just more earthy. One of my favorite ways to serve it is sautéed in Olive Oil (about 3 tablespoons per bunch of Kale… dash with salt and pepper, cook for about 4 minutes) and paired with chicken.

If you see it in your local grocery store, pick it up… give it a chance! Let’s bring back Kale!!