I grew up in Northeast Philadelphia with a concrete slab and a small patch of grass surrounded by a chain link fence as my backyard. Open fields and rolling pastures were seen in movies, not in my day-to-day existence.
Occasionally, my family would pile in the station wagon and take a drive down back roads to an ice cream parlor that was on a farm, but I’m almost certain I never even saw the cows. My parents also owned a supermarket in Philly, so my concept of where food comes from started with the large trucks that pulled up to the loading docks and ended with workers placing packaged items on shelves.
When I moved out to Chester County, I took notice of the land around me and the way it differed from my childhood home. This area is full of farms and it got me thinking about the cycle of food as I struggle to raise three kids who only want to eat at McDonald’s. I also yearned to expand the culinary repertoire of dishes that I prepare in the home as I usually fall back on the same tried and true recipes for my family. This year, I decided it was time to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). A CSA farmer sells members “shares” (either full or half) of their farms and, in return, members get a portion of the harvest every week throughout the growing season.
I investigated many different CSAs in our region and decided I didn’t want to simply pick up a box of food at a suburban strip mall, but wanted to actually go to the source and immerse myself in the culture of farming. I settled on Kimberton CSA due to its proximity, its biodynamic methods, and the option it offered of harvesting some of my own food in their fields.
When I went for my first share pick-up, I was overcome with a sense of panic. This all sounded good on paper, but what was I going to do with all of these fresh vegetables? Some I had never heard of (Hello, Tat Soi, I’m talking to you!) and others I had never prepared. It was certainly time to get creative.
In my first week, several varieties of kale were available. I knew I could use this leafy green in a soup, but with the warm weather, it didn’t seem appropriate. I had plenty of red and green leaf lettuces for salads, so it was time for my first “think outside the box” assignment. I had recalled hearing that kale made a great snack, so I set out in search of a recipe. As it turns out, recipes for kale chips are abundant so I decided on this recipe from The Tasteful Life because it was straightforward.
Kale Chips with Sea Salt and Olive Oil
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of Kale
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Rinse and dry the kale.
- Cut away the kale from the leaf ribs into big pieces.
- In a bowl drizzle the olive oil and distribute it throughout the kale. NOTE: Do not use a lot of oil, your chips will come out too oily and basically ruined. Not good. So if you are unsure always go with less.
- Sprinkle sea salt on the kale. If you like a lot of salt, add more after you baked them. Remember less is more when it comes to kale.
- Arrange kale on a baking sheet in a single layer as much as possible. I put foil on the baking sheet for easy clean up.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes until crisp. The kale will shrink big time, but that’s ok, that means it’s working.
My first attempt was not without missteps. Even though the recipe warned, I overused both the olive oil and the sea salt. My family tasted the chips and declared them too salty to eat, but said they would try them again with less salt. I guess there is a learning curve for me on kale, but there is always next week’s bounty.
Do you have any kale recipes to share with me? I’d love to try them out and report back with results.
To find a CSA near you, check out Buy Local PA to locate farm fresh food.
