Kitchen Gardens, Southern Style

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Comment by Letti on November 16, 2009 at 6:53pm

I love the young kale leaves in salads along with beet leaves. During the winter months I love freezing the kale leaves then adding them to my soups 15 minutes before serving.
Everett these are healthy looking beet leaves. I grew the bull's blood variety and enjoyed them.

Comment by Tamra on November 15, 2009 at 9:24am

I have seen the really young kale leaves in salad mixes, but I prefer it cooked. Unlike collards and mustards, that need several hard freezes to sweeten up, kale does not. But at the same time it is the most cold hardy of all the greens. Last year I grew kale and collards all year in my zone 6 garden, with no protection. The kale was still growing come spring. The siberian or red Russian kale are the hardiest. I have seen pics of it growing through snow.

I like kale cooked similar to other southern greens served with sweet pickle relish. It is also good blanched and sauteed with olive and garlic.

Every winter garden should include kale.

Comment by Joel LeGrand on November 15, 2009 at 1:38am

HI everyone,
Thanks Everett, I will have to try your Bulls Blood.
Hi Tamra, I never eaten kale , can I use it raw in salad or should I always cook it?
Beets & Kale are two veggies I have not grown as of yet.

Comment by Tamra on November 13, 2009 at 9:06pm

I have noticed that my purple kale is only purple when the weather is cold, just like your red beets.

Comment by Everett McDonald on November 13, 2009 at 6:38pm

Hey Joel, My wife cooks them just as she would spinach. they're more
of a sweet green than a bitter green, like spinach or chard.

Comment by Joel LeGrand on November 13, 2009 at 6:20pm

Hi Everett,
Do you pick & cook the beet leaves like mustardgreens. If so ,how do they taste?

Comment by Everett McDonald on November 13, 2009 at 6:00pm

Two years ago in October I took a trip to Cape Bretton Island
in Canada. At the Louisbourg Fortress (now a living museum)
I found a kitchen garden. In the garden were beets with the
deepest burgundy leaves. The variety is Bulls Blood and the
seed can still be found without too much trouble. I planted
them last spring and was real disapointed because they
didn't color up like in Canada. I saved the few leftover seeds
and planted them with my Early Wonder Beets this fall.
Apparently it was the warming weather of spring that
affected the color, the ones that I planted this fall are
beautiful. The flavor is as good as any other beet I've
grown. For a beautiful change of pace in your garden
give them a try next fall.

Comment by Joel LeGrand on September 18, 2009 at 6:50pm

Hi,
I am starting my Fall/Winter garden.
Onion, cabbage,mustard, spinach,turnip,broccoli, & carrot.

Comment by Amy Lockhart on August 30, 2009 at 8:57pm

Pamela, are the pumpkins "Seminole" pumpkins? There is a native to s Florida that can produce different looking squash from the same plant...They are very cool!

Comment by Sharon on August 30, 2009 at 7:23pm

Stephanie a lot of folks have complained of poor tomato harvests this year. Amy is right the hot, humid and rainy weather is not a good environment for tomatoes. For the first time in about 3 years we had to supplement our tomatoes with some bought from a local farmer for our canning. By the time we ate them fresh we didn't have anything much left over.

Welcome to the wonderful adventure of food growing!

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