Radishes, kale and brussel sprouts in a brown sugar mustard sauce

I harvested radishes and kale from the garden, and threw the last of the brussel sprouts from the freezer into this.  It was enough for just me - but that was ok.. not really Mark's thing, especially with mustard :) He did make me a hamburger patty with lots of onion powder and black pepper mixed in with it to go along side this - and it was a great match.

Handful of radishes, sliced
Handful of baby kale, with stems pinched off - washed
About six brussel sprouts
One tablespoon of brown sugar
mixed with one teaspoon of olive oil
add black pepper
and a little lime juice
and about a tablespoon or more of prepared yellow mustard (or brown, it would work)
and a 1/3 to 1/4 cup of water (it will cook down later)
heat to a near boil with one extra tablespoon of butter (I mixed it all in a pyrex measuring cup, so this was easy)
pour over vegetables in a baking dish
Steam in sauce until sauce just begins to thicken and kale is thoroughly wilted, brussel sprouts are not frozen etc.

Then I put the onion and pepper patty on a good deli hamburger bun, sliced it in to eighths and used them as a mop up for the rest of the mustard sauce, which really picked up on the other spice flavors.

Good dinner :)
And no, this isn't becoming a cooking blog - I'm just excited to use things from the garden :)

In Other News : Esme's last week of school is coming up.  It will be a lot to do... then a whole summer to plan fun things here and there.  The pepper plant started flowering - the peas are about to put on pods.  I'm working on another sisal basket, hopefully with a lid... it is small... and I'm thinking of decorating the exterior with thread and/or paint.  Mark is tilling Grandma's garden, today.  I am happy to report the grapefruit peel oil and witch hazel combination seems to be working fine - I've used it three days in a row now.  I still have to strain it, and hope I don't lose the oil.

White bean soup with kale, mustard and red peppers

There was kale and 'spinach mustard' to be had in the garden today, as well as herbs.  I combined them into this recipe.

A small handful of young kale leaves, with as much stem as possible removed.
A small handful of spinach mustard leaves, same
a lemon balm leaf - partially dried
peppermint leaf - partially dried
cut red peppers from my freezer
a can of Great Northern or Cannellini beans, well rinsed
a little olive oil
some black pepper
a dash of red wine vinegar (go easy)
some oregano (used dried)
a tiny bit of garlic powder at the end.


I added this together in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover and simmered on medium with the lid on (steam holes open) for about a half hour - added some more water, simmered again until the kale and mustard did its classic look (see above) and the beans began to make some broth.  Served with buttered toast.

alterations that could be made:  Could run it all through a food processor and make a creamy type soup.  I've seen that in a lot of recipes.  Or, my instincts at the point I puled it was that I could make a butter and flour rue and thicken it up a little and maybe add a bit more garlic powder to it after that.  Instead I opted for the toast and a thin broth.  It would be really nice with some cottage cheese on the side, too.

Pretty good .. but I'd go much easier on the vinegar next time - I think I used a splash and a half when I needed only a splash.

In the Garden:  I put up the bean fence, weeded, planted a lot more things (I know... there is already so much there...but we are looking for useful jungle not grass jungle...)..

planted today:
more sunflowers
marigolds,cauliflower, rutabaga and radishes as weed management solutions
arugula
 nasturtiums
pansies (as a what the hey maybe they'll do something)
basil underneath the peppermint because something has finally took hold there
lots more pattypan squash (as I had killed one weeding)
dark star zucchini
cushaw (old package -put them behind the tomatoes by the gourds)
birdhouse gourds (dropped the package and had to pick up seeds... decided to spend it)
black eyed peas (Second round, first had failed)
Christmas lima beans in a pack from a friend last year
rattlesnake beans (treated.. yuck.. hate treated)
a cheap package of green arrow peas..
Ireland Creek Annie beans