02.20.20 Janelle's Kale Tree
Janelle’s Kale Tree towers over her like a protective angel. At four years old, the kale tree is the pride of her family’s garden and an integral part of Janelle’s healing journey following a terrible car accident 10 years ago. Rather than removing her kale plant out at the end of the season, Janelle secured it to the fence, allowing it to soar to the sky and grow stronger with each year. She hoses off the bugs from time to time and lovingly picks new leaves for salads, soups and sautés.
Janelle has great reverence for her family’s garden as it has been with her since she was a child and it is what gave her new hope when she was in the early months of recovery. Her philosophy is that a garden need not be organized or perfectly designed, what matters is that you can eat from it every day. She also eats with the seasons, reasoning that mother nature gives you what you need when you need it. Her small plot is highly productive and functional with a compost bin nearby to till in new rich soil once a year. She sent me home with kale from her 4 year old tree, 7 meyers lemons, beet greens, rainbow chard, broccoli, romaine lettuce, carrot tops, a mix of mescaline lettuces, cilantro and instructions on how to massage the kale and chard for a salad.
Kale Tree Salad:
Remove stems from kale and chard (save for a sautè or soup).
Roll up leaves into small bundles and slice thinly (this breaks down the fibrous elements for easier digestion).
I added some of Janelle’s cilantro and mescaline lettuce.
From my own garden, I added some winter tomatoes.
Dress with salt, cumin, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pumpkin seeds and avocado for garnish