I harvested the first kale last week. The leaves are decently sized, but like the first cutting of most leafy greens, they were still quite tender and delicately flavored. And they cook down like spinach. But to get to the second cutting, when the leaves will have more texture and flavor, I must get through the first.
Not that the first cutting was such a hardship. I sautéed them with garlic and chile flakes in a bit of olive oil; a little salt, pepper and lemon juice at the end.
In other garden highlights, I have a few roma tomatoes. Like last year, I was able to get the tomatoes in the ground by May 1st, and avoid any damaging frosts. But unlike last year, when the tomatoes were just starting to blush in mid July, I may get tomatoes by July 4th. We’ll see, and I’ll keep you posted.
The first jalapeno poked its nose out from behind the flower. Now I know that in a pinch, I can go to the garden for a spicy kick… though I hope to wait until it matures a little further.
The beet greens are large and hardy, but still not as big as supermarket beet greens. Since I can’t dig up the beets to check their size – if I did, that would be the end of its growth – I must judge their size by the size of their leaves. I still have a few weeks to go.