Tomato plants

I am trying to add a picture of my huge tomato plants.

Recipe Didi posted

My husband called yesterday afternoon to see if I wanted to go to dinner at which point I informed him I was going to try a recipe with some fresh Kale, he replied, "I am not eating any health _hit, can I get something on the way home"? Of course he was kidding but was still concerned, also he had no idea what Kale was. So I went home and started cooking the meal, man it smelled good, Bacon and onions and garlic smells permeated the house, my husband, in the living room watching the news shouted, "I don't know what that is going to taste like, but boy does it smell good". I did a little cheating on the recipe, cut the sausage up and browned in a pan vs the oven method but other than that followed the recipe, I made some warm bread to go with it and a nice bottle or red wine and when we sat down and had our first bite we were thrilled, it was wonderful, great flavors, it is a fancy potato soup we decided but very very good, thanks again Didi. I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch today.

A successful trade

I would like to think our little co-op has been working. I got some cheesecakes from Cory for some eggplants from my yard, and I will get some tomatoes from Robyn for some kale.

I just really hate I lost so many tomatoes. Robyn said some animals got them, but I doubt it. We only got rabbits and squirrels in our yard, and they did not touch my tomatoes last year at all.

I remember when my brother was visiting me last summer, he would get up early in the morning, saunter into the yard and pick tomatoes to feed himself.

He again will be here next week, and I feel so bad there won't be enough tomatoes for him to pick.

What is Kale? How do I cook it?

Kale

The beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide an earthy flavor and more nutritional value for fewer calories than almost any other food around. Although it can be found in markets throughout the year, it is in season from the middle of winter through the beginning of spring when it has a sweeter taste and is more widely available.

Kale is a leafy green vegetable that belongs to the Brassica family, a group of vegetables including cabbage, collards and Brussels sprouts that have gained recent widespread attention due to their health promoting, sulfur-containing phytonutrients. It is easy to grow and can grow in colder temperatures where a light frost will produce especially sweet kale leaves.

Source: www.whfoods.org

How to cook it? I love this recipe, and you can be "very generous" with Kale. It seems no matter how much we put in our soup, it's never enough for me. A similar soup is available at Olive Garden, and this recipe is from allrecipes.com with five stars from 152 reviews.

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) package smoked sausage
• 2 potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups kale - washed, dried, and shredded
• 2 tablespoons chicken soup base
• 1 quart water
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Place sausage links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until done. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut at an angle into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Place onions and bacon slices in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Remove bacon and crumble. Set aside.
4. Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional 1 minute. Add chicken soup base, water, and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes.
5. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale, and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.

Cheesecake to trade for produce

So last Sunday I went to Braum's and bought an 8 inch Braum's New York Style cheesecake. I ate half of it, and decided it really needed a topping, so I went out and bought a box of blueberries. I used up half the box on the remaining half of the cheesecake. Yummy.

Now I've got half a box of blueberries, I need to buy another cheese cake. But I only need half the cake to go with half the box. It's probably not too wise to for me to eat two full cheese cakes in two weeks, anyway.

So I'm going to buy the cheesecake tonight at Braum's. Will anyone trade me some healthy low calorie produce for half a cheese cake? Maybe three green peppers? Or some greenbeans? Or two egg plants? A head of lettuce? Tomatos? Better yet, some strawberries?

Cory

P.S. I used to grow stuff off my back porch, but now my porch doesn't get enough light. So I'm open to about any fresh produce.

Green bean stir-fry in a super easy one

Well, it is not as easy as put it in the microwave and wait for the ding, but if I find it easy, it is easy.

Here's how you do it: rinse the green beans, snip both ends and cut them into two-inch lengths.

Then heat up a wok, pour some oil just to cover the bottom of the wok (about one tablespoon).

When the oil is hot (but not super hot), put in the beans and stir-fry for about six minutes or until the beans are soft.

Take out the beans. Then prepare a small amount of minced garlic, thinly sliced ginger and chopped green onions. If you have Sichuan pepper corns, toss them into the mix.

Heat the same wok with oil. When the oil is about to smoke, pour in the mix of garlic, ginger, green onions and pepper corns. Stir-fry quickly until you can smell the fragrance, then put in the green beans. Stir-fry briefly. Add salt, and stir a little more. Turn off the heat, and a plate of green beans is ready to be served with genuine Chinese tastes.

Tomatoes on the vine

I came home from work and, to my delight, saw several ripe tomatoes on the vine that my hubby just picked from the yard. They were red and firm with a smooth skin. I immediately washed one and ate it. It was juicy! Those are not cherry tomatoes but between the size of a cherry tomato and a regular tomato. Maybe sweet tomatoes? Anyone who needs a couple, please let me know.

My Veggie garden

I have attempted to grow tomatoes for the past five years, I have tried in the ground, in pots etc, I have only gotten to eat probably 15 tomatoes. The plants looked bad, the never got ripe etc. This year I did like Didi and have a raised bed and now I have huge plants, they are covered with tomatoes, I have already eaten 15 probably. I will post a photo tomorrow. Can't wait to try the share thing.

An urban veggie-grower from China

Growing up in China in the 1980s, I did not have too positive an opinion of co-op, since it was closely associated with the Great Leap and the Cultural Revolution, both having caused havoc in the Middle Kingdom.

Oddly, I started to hear about co-op when I came to the United States, and the word began to have a new meaning to me. Yeah, it is a very idealistic grassroots effort.

Then came my homeownership. Mark and I bought a house in the Phelps Grove neighborhood. When I told my dad in China that the lot is about 0.16 acres, he thought a while and then said: "You have enough land to feed a family."

Well, we are not full-time farmers, and we can't grow everything we need, but Mark and I did want to plant the vegetables and herbs that you don't usually get in a local supermarket: such as Asian eggplants and Thai basil.

Gardening is not easy, but neither is it as hard as I had expected. In our first year, we had a bumper crop of jalapeño, snow peas, and tomatoes. We only had two plants of Asian eggplants, but both did well despite the hot summer in 2006.

This year, we added another small raised bed, and here's the list of stuff we are trying to grow this year: artichoke, leek, tomatoes, three kinds of peppers, strawberries, raspberries, kale, bok choy, Asian eggplants, soy beans, snow peas, sponge gourd, cilantro, parsley, sweet basil and Thai basil.

Kale is doing great, but bok choy was a total loss. Cilantro was thriving but we forgot to snip the blooms in time. Snow peas were growing crazy, but they are done for the year. The artichoke plant has grown at least seven feet tall with no signs of flowers. But soybeans are doing great, and the sponge gourd seems to be thriving.

Speaking of sponge gourd, it is one of my favorite summer veggies. My parents used to cook them in a light broth with salted bamboo shoots. It was simply delicious. I don't think I have had sponge gourd since 1998, so I'm really looking forward to the harvest.

Oh, well. I have strayed away from the co-op I mentioned at the beginning. Back to the co-op, I just think it will be a good idea for us to share what we have in our yard or kitchen. Fresh produce, home-made dishes, sense of comradeship, and better, healthier food on the dining table, why not?