And So It Grows...

 Once again we have signed up to garden in our local community garden. This year we branched out and added a second plot. The main reason was so that we could dedicate a plot to my mini pumpkins, gourds and lemon cucumbers which seem to take over the garden every year. We added corn to the plot as well which should make for a good mix. In the larger plot we planted beets, radishes, kale, beets, tomatoes, tomatillos, squash, carrots and of course zuchs..We have had a very rainy couple of months which was actually great for our cooler weather crops so last week we went down and harvested the radishes and some of the kale so i could make some healthy kale chips for us to snack on. Baked kale chips are really the only way I like to eat kale. My husband took care to remove the tough stems from each of the kale leaves which made them extra crispy and light. I chose a very simple recipe and they turned out great. I placed them single layer on a cookie sheet and brushed each leaf with a tiny bit of olive oil and then topped them with garlic powder and slat. I placed them in a 300 degree oven and baked each batch for about 16 to 17 minutes. I used the convection bake setting on my oven. If you use a conventional oven it just might take a few minutes longer, but I would still check them at 16 minutes because they could burn easily. Since they are feather light without the stems, they won't hold up in a dip but they do rehydrate nicely if you want to sprinkle them onto a bowl of soup! Our radishes will be great in our salads and they are also wonderful when very thinly sliced and sauteed in butter. Below is a picture of the garden plots as of early July. Here in Colorado we get a slow start on the growing season!

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