Gong Garden

This is a great recipe for Kale (but I would think you could use other greens as well)

1T olive oil 2(15oz) cans white beans such as cannellini or navy
8 large garlic cloves crushed
1 med onion chopped
4 cups kale
4 cups broth (we used veg)
4 plum tomatoes
2 t Italian herb seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 c chopped parsley

heat olive oil, add garlic and onion saute until soft. Add kale and saute stirring until wilted. Add 3 cups broth, 2 cups beans and all of the tomato herbs salt and pepper. Simmer 5 min. In blender or food processor mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Stir into soup to thicken simmer 15 min. ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

We ommitted the blender/food processor part. I just added all to the pot and used a potatoe masher to mash some of it.

This is great tasting soup!

*courtesy of Judi Lutz-Woods

Moroccan carrot salad
6 carrots, shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Place carrots and onions in a medium serving bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
Toss with the carrots.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
*Courtesy of Priscilla Titus

We have been using Ghee to cook the greens such as Bok Choi, Tat Soi, Spinach, and Mustards. The Ghee gives the greens a shiny appearance, coats the leaves to stop escaping vitamins and minerals. Cooking with Ghee in the frying pan reminds me of living in India and the wonderful aroma that is associated with the sizzle of cooking.

We chop the greens up into any size or shape we wish, put a tbls. of ghee into the hot pan and cook a very short time. It's beautiful over rice! Simple and healthy.

Also called cole and borecole. kale has been in the European diet since the Greeks & Romans. In De Agricultura, the ROman philosopher Cato describes several varieties of kale favored by is countrymen. the name comes via Scotland from the Greek & Roman words coles and caulis, which referred to vegetables of the cabbage family.

brassica oleracea var, acephala is the Latin name, placing kale in the family of Cruciferea. Acephala means without a head.  read more »

Dialogue heard in the field: "What are those funny looking plants over there?" "Kohlrabi." "Cold rabbi?" "They're in the cabbage family." "They look like golf balls with leaves on top!"

The earliest mention of kohlrabi comes from Pliny in ancient Rome: a Brassica in which the stem is thin just above the roots, but swell out in the region that bears the leaves, which are few and slender." The name is German from kohl - cabbage - and rabi - turnip. The plant does share the characteristics of these two vegetables. The edible stem enlargement resembles a turnip, and the leaves taste like cabbage.

Like broccloi, kohlrabi bears the Latin name Brassica oleracea and belongs to the Cruciferae family.

Kohlrabi is a high carbohydrate, high fiber food, an excellent source of cellulose and lignin. It is a good source of vit. C (100 gr. contains 66 mg. ascorbic acid), low in sodium, and high in potassium (372 mg. per 100 gr.).  read more »

Quick growing broccoli raab has a deep broccoli flavor enhanced by a subtle peppery zip and a tantalizing bittersweet note. Broccoli raab is also known as broccoli rabe, cima di rapa, rapini, and Italian turnip greens.

A serving of cooked broccoli raab provides a healthy dose of vitamin A and vitamin C. Also an excellent source of calcium and iron.

I haven't yet discovered the geographical origin of broccoli raab.

Gardeners unfamiliar with the veggie may be disheartened because it bolts - sends up a flower stalk - so quickly. Not to worry as you want it to bolt because the tender flower stalk and buds, along with the thin leaves, are the tasty parts of this plant.

Pizza with broccoli raab
Roughly chop a pound of broccoli raaab. Mash 2 or 3 big garlic cloves along
with salt in a motar. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. stir in the garlic,
and toss in the broccoli raab. Season with red pepper flakes. Saute' for 5
minutes until tender crisp.  read more »

A relative newcomer to the human diet, lettuce was first cultivated about 4500 b.c. Plants resembling romaine lettuce appear painted on the walls of Egyptian tombs. Lettuce was popular with the Greeks & Romans, and is eaten all over western Europe. Romaine (also called cos) got its name when the Pope moved to Avignon in the 14th century, and his Italian gardener introduced this lettuce to the French. The first definite evidence of the iceberg varieties was in 1543. There are four salad types: crisphead (or iceberg), butterhead, romaine (or cos), and leaf. Iceberg does not grow especially well in the northeast ... we don't grow it at all.

Lactuca sativa is a member of the Compositae family.  read more »

Hello Shareholders,

I've been trying to find time to send info and recipes for some of the veggies we grow. Here's the first one. I'll try to keep up on this. IF anyone would like to share recipes with other shareholders, this would be the place to do it.

We are very busy folks, trying to be worthy of your great support. the gardeners

Spinach is native to southwestern Asia and grown where ever there is cool, moist climates. One cup of cooked spinach provides 5 gr. of protein. It is low in fat and fiber. In one cup there are 700 mg. potassium, 167 mg. calcium, 4 mg. iron, 14,580 i.u. vit. A, .25 mg. riboflavin, and 50 mg. ascorbic acid. Spinach also contains oxalic acid and astringent tannis. Spinach oleracea belongs to the Chenopodiaceae family, along with beets and chard.  read more »