PLANTING.
We set out some seedlings on Friday (and then on Saturday we heard about the ice storm coming on Sunday...oh well). But they should be well protected under a low tunnel we made out of left-over greenhouse plastic. Hang in there little plants!
Here is an amazing old post where we talked about how and why we start our seeds in soil blocks....there is even a baby Wendell cameo!
PUTTING KALE BY.
Although we've been neglecting our fermentation posts, we've decidedly not been neglecting our fermentations. As of late, my focus has been on preserving kale, or "putting kale by" as they say locally. Hannah and I both are big fans of kale, and come summer, when our greens will be severely limited under the heat, its nice to have a little extra greenery around.We have loads of volunteer kale in our high tunnel right now, getting ready to bolt (flower) and I've approached preserving it in a few different ways. First, I have sun-dried the leaves partially then packed them into a jar to lacto-ferment for ten days. Second, I have sun-dried the kale blossoms and lacto-fermented them with hot peppers and garlic. Lastly, I have just plain dried them in the sun to put into soups or sauces.The drying before fermenting was something I decided to experiment with after reading a recipe for gundruk in The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz, where you dry the leaves of radishes or other brassicas (broccoli family), stuff them into a jar, ferment them for several days and then dry them again. Gundruk is an unsalted ferment and results are often used in different Himalayan soups. I don't do much that doesn't involve salt, so I modified the idea a bit by adding a couple tablespoons. Plus, I liked the chewy kale so I just decided to not dry it again and use the ferment like an after (or before) dinner chaw, or appetizer. I've always had a fondness for sun-dried fruits and vegetables, which was what attracted me to this ferment in the first place. It's also led me to lots of new ideas which will no doubt be hitting the blog this summer as the bounty arrives and we scramble to preserve it all.- Jesse.