propaganda and maple syrup

I have a love-hate relationship to kale. I love growing it, I love how it bunches, I could eat it everyday of the week. But in an adolescent strain of resentment like when your favorite band makes the Top 40, I kinda hate the fandom. So many t-shirts! So many twee slogans! So many other vegetables that deserve attention! 

Luckily for me, I work in a rural, low-key environment, slower on the trends than the rest of the country. (Socks with sandals, not a faux pas here.) And I also have a deer-attracting, hand-wringing abundance of fine and fancy kale. We planted lots in the spring, overcome with the names: Ragged Jack, Winter Red, Lacinato, Blue Curly Dwarf Scotch, Russian Winter White. To ease the glut, we've resorted to the oldest tactics in the books. In case you need to convince anyone in your life to get on the kale bandwagon, here's how: 

Step 1: Propaganda. Adam drew an innocent-looking fact sheet up, so that we could start a propaganda campaign in the lodge, under the guise of describing the varieties we're growing down in the garden. Who can resist hand drawn cartoon-vegetables? We picked the catchiest facts (kale: more iron per calorie than beef! Cancer-busting and body-supporting antioxidants like vitamins A, C and K! Mineral-rich in copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus!) and watched the plates fill up with the green stuff. 

Step 2: Maple Syrup. I had an impromptu stint as kitchen helper the other evening, so I resorted to a fail-safe kale newbie recipe. You sweat some shallots in coconut oil, toss in the kale, add a few tablespoons each of maple syrup, orange juice, and balsamic and cook with the lid on until the kale is bright green. The trick lies in the judicious turn off--kale overcooks in a heartbeat. Breakfast Kale! 

The Kale crisis of July 2013 has eased. Now if we just had some blank t-shirts out here….