Kids eat kale

It’s local food season in Columbus. Saturday marked this year’s launch of Market Days on Broadway, where local artists sell their creations, local farmers sell their largely organically grown produce and where members of the Columbus Natural Foods CSA (Community Supported Agriculture group) pick up their weekly haul of vegetables. For the first time we’ve sorted out a way to join a CSA in spite of our tendency to be gone or busy many Saturday mornings, thanks to the fact that Rob’s co-worker is willing to do pick up for us from the Harris County CSA that Jenny Jack Sun Farm launched this year. (If you live close be sure to check out the big community Dinner on the Farm this Saturday at the Jenny Jack Sun Farm -- and the monthly farm dinners hosted by Shannon Klein's Food Blossoms gourmet catering, which will feature more intimate dining with tables reserved in advance. Either way, it's a wonderful experience to eat delicious, naturally grown food as you sit outside on the farm that produced it.)
Our CSA produce doesn’t start coming in until May 20, so we picked up a bunch of kale and a bag of stone-ground grits at the market on Saturday. I’d already discovered that I don’t have to be the only one in our family willing to eat kale after my cousin April shared her simple kale preparation method a few weeks ago (it involves sautéing the stuff, finely chopped, in olive oil with some apple cider vinegar and soy sauce to taste). Rob and I like that method, and Will’s willing to eat a bit if I pre-boil the kale several minutes to get the crunch out.

But Owen was still turning his nose up at the stuff. So tonight I tried out this recipe for our latest bunch of kale. It comes courtesy of someone in the Columbus Natural Foods Group who posted it last season. I didn't have turkey ham, so I substituted some chicken sausage and used a bit less broth.

Owen said “This good!” as he gobbled his down, and both he and Will wanted seconds. So I’m sharing the “yummy kale recipe” as it was titled by whoever e-mailed it out. But try a simple sauté too – It's yummy too and I’m sure the kale retains more of its nutrients without an hour-plus simmer.

8 cups chicken broth
1 bunch kale, rinsed and sliced
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into chunks
1 pound diced fully cooked turkey ham
4 cloves garlic, chopped freshly ground black pepper to taste

Measure the chicken broth into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, add the kale, potatoes, ham and garlic. Season with ground black pepper. Simmer covered over low heat for 1 1/2 hours.