One of the hardest parts of summer here in SWFL is dealing with the loss of the readily available back yard kale. Always fresh and ready to eat or to go in soups and smoothies and stir fry.
Well this year I've extended the harvest a bit by preparing and freezing my kale two ways.
Kale ice cubes for smoothies!
and Kale stock for soups!
As the weather warms up and the days get longer the kale that's been growing beautifully since the Fall ... starts to look a little crappy. It's tougher, has more brown spots and the leaves aren't getting as big anymore. SO it's time to let go and move on.
But I'm not letting go as easily as I normally do!
Here's my harvest. It was about 3 pounds or so and a lot of it was less than beautiful, but still totally useable.
I juiced it all with my very tired and dull juicer and got a little over two cups total. I'm sure a better quality juicer could have gotten more out, and I had to give the machine a break halfway through, but that's ok! I've still got plans for all of the left over pulp.
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| I love this color green SO MUCH!! |
plus... they're fun to set up and play with...
As for the pulp, I threw it all into a large pot to cook into a veggie stock
I added some fresh herbs from the garden to amp up the flavor and slow cooked the concoction for a while. Then I strained it with a spaghetti colander and poured the broth into freezer bags.
And there you have it! Two easy ways to keep your kale harvest going ... at least for a while longer. I so prefer home made stocks over store bought so making veggie stock is something I plan on doing more and more often with my end harvests.
Still, it's sad to see a good crop run it's course!
*sigh*, Until next Fall, kale.... Until next Fall...
