By Melissa Clark
Yield 2 to 4 servings
Time 20 minutes
Kale Salad may someday go the way of other clichéd salads of yore — the bean salad, the chef’s salad, the beet salad with goat cheese. But like all those other venerable mixtures, its ubiquity is due in large part to how good it can be.
Take a bunch of raw Tuscan kale (also called lacinato or black kale), which is more delicate than other varieties, and slice it into ribbons. Toss those ribbons with a thick bright dressing of garlic paste, pecorino, lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Top with freshly toasted bread crumbs and a flurry of pecorino. The leaves are sturdy enough to stand up to the bold flavors and varying textures, but tender when you take a bite.
I've been hitting my garden with extra water this month b/c of heat and dry winds - and its rewarding me with an abundance of flowers.
The red plumeria decided to make a late appearance (with more to come):
I decided to try cockscombs again (after not having much luck with them (kids call 'em brain flowers):
Begonias are blooming after being moved to a shadier area:
And pansies have decided to explode outside of the fence:
Happy Gardening all. Summer will be over soon. Looking forward to cooler weather.
Hmmmmm .... I need “hey girl, here’s some venison from my latest hunt for you OR here’s a package of rib eye steaks for you” before I’m showing any ‘interest’ ...LOL!
So it’s been an “interesting” week.
About Thursday, my chigger bites (about a dozen on each leg, on my butt, up my back, 2 on my neck, etc. - extensive bites!) reduced to a ‘dull roar’ ie they are now itching individually rather than one starting to itch & they ALL start itching. It’s been a week so I’m over the hump with itching.
We have had severe storms this past week - 2 with power outages, loss of WiFi/cable & lightning, & the 3rd one last night with “ferocious” winds (more on that in a minute). The good news is that we got a total of about 1.75 inches of rain, maybe a little more. The grass & weeds have revived and I haven’t had to water the garden (just containers) in the last week.
Around dinner time last evening, a severe storm was headed our way. It was preceded by terrible winds - strong enough to blow over a metal patio table/chairs next door. It was really scary, quite frankly. The storm broke up some & headed in a more northerly direction so we didn’t get much else, just a little rain. When I started checking out damage outside, my sunflowers and tithonia were blown over & the hummingbird feeder had blown off & was on the ground.
For the next 2 hours (after the rain/rumbling of thunder had stopped), I worked on the sunflowers & tith. My mom helped me, holding metal fence posts (6 footers - had to stand on a step ladder to pound down on them) while I sledged them in. She kept saying “don’t miss, don’t miss”, scared I would miss & get her hand. Anyway, 2 of the 3 tiths are now supported by posts & one of the giant sunflowers. The 3rd tith & the rest of the giant sunflowers are roped up. My medium sized sunflowers are mostly gone because the stalks bent or broke - mom made flower arrangements with them.
I watered everything in that blew over, hoping dirt would settle back around the roots - tiths in particular do not like their roots disturbed. I had to cut off a lot of broken branches, too. Checking everything out this morning, nothing is wilted, but we have a high of 92 forecast so I’m hoping the heat won’t get to them .... cooler weather with lots of rain in the forecast starting tomorrow & extending through the next week.
Note to self .... next year, I will pound in a tall metal fence post for each tith & tie them up as they grow. I should have learned that lesson last year when my SIL had a huge tith that was falling over & we had to stake/tie it up. Same thing with my Giant sunflowers that are 10-12’ high at this point - I will stake them up as they grow.
The tiths are LOADED with butterflies and bumble bees so I hope they make it - I’m seeing 6 butterflies (yellow & black swallowtails) at a time & I’ve seen one Monarch. Funny story - last night, when I was in the middle (literally) of a tithonia (the middle one of 3) trying to tie it up, I kept hearing a bee buzzing loudly. I glanced up at the flowers around my head, but no bee. Still buzzing buzzing ... looked again - no bee. I was getting “disturbed” - WHERE was that bee? I finally glanced over my left shoulder & there it was - a large bumble bee ON my shoulder! I just picked up my shirt on my shoulder a bit & shook it - Mr. Bumble Bee flew off with no harm done to either of us!! :-)
Nice looking guy; hate kale.
Thanks for the eye candy.
But thank God He knows what is best and this will work out for good, and will balance out, and plants are growing well now, esp. the butternut squash take over the land:n
The heat index is in the high 80s right now, at this writing, which is nearly 3pm. I have been giving my landscaping assistants Frogg Togg cooling blankets to work with. Just wet them and they get cool. Usually, in Georgia, landscapers don’t install in this heat. We wait till October. I have small jobs to do, with clients who will water 3xweek, so I bring my guys Gatorade and cooling blankets.
Beautiful 😍