Last week I strolled through the market looking for the latest Colorado bounty harvested by local growers. It seemed almost every booth I stopped by had a good supply of kale; and each booth seemed to display a different variety.
As a former grocer, I know the ins and outs of running delis. Kale is big in the deli business as it is used as a garnish on deli trays. It's especially important in assembling fruit trays, as this frilly-leafed veggie is perfect for separating individual fruits from one another-it prevents
the juices of one fruit from intermingling with those of another. Now, that's vital information if you happen to sell deli trays for a living. So as a former deli operator, when I think of kale, I think deli trays.
I happened to be in the
Cure Organic Farm booth when I heard a customer tell Ann Cure she had made kale pizza. I must admit I was a bit taken aback. I felt more than a little out of the "kale" loop. I continued shopping and kept stumbling into this veggie. I stopped by the Community Roots booth and had a nice visit with Kipp Nash. Although his kale was as beautiful as any I'd seen that morning, it paled in comparison to Kipp's intriguing personal story.
Kipp Nash founded
Community Roots, an innovative Neighborhood Supported Agriculture project, some three and a half years ago and is dedicated to bringing local food production and distribution to the urban setting. Kipp has converted 13 front and back yards as well as a couple of church lawns into vegetable gardens. Home owners and organizations donating their lawns to Community Roots share in the harvest.
Community Roots not only produces enough produce to feed land owners, neighbors and CSA members, it also sells its veggies at the Boulder Farmers' Market. I am amazed. On several small parcels of land, Kipp produces enough "surplus" veggies to fill his stand with abundance. We grocers believe that's the way produce should be displayed.
What impressed me most about Kipp is that he also educates and trains future farmers in this urban-based agricultural model. He provides hands on training to interested individuals and consults and gives workshops, passing along what he has learned about commercial farming within city limits. Kipp's goal is to turn Boulder into an urban garden and see what the city can cultivate.
I left Kipp's booth with a bunch of redbor kale in hand. Redbor is a flowering kale that produces vibrant, dark purple foliage. Since I'm no longer in the grocery business, I had no deli trays in my immediate future. I had to figure out what to do with my purchase. I did some research and learned that baby kale can be eaten raw, but larger varieties should be cooked. When steamed for 8 minutes, kale will be crunchy. When steamed 30 to 40 minutes, it will have a soft texture much like spinach. When sliced or shredded, it will cook up a bit faster. Kale has a strong, peppery flavor and is often added to soups or stir fry. Finely chopped, sautéed kale adds a robust punch to starches like corn bread, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Kipp said he grows so much kale he is always looking for creative ways to use it. He suggested making kale chips. His recipe follows. I decided to give kale pizza a try and my recipe for this follows as well:
Kipp's Kale ChipsServes 4If you'd like to add a cheesy flavor to your kale chips, try sprinkling them with Parmesan or Asiago cheese at the same time you add the salt.
1 bunch kale
Extra virgin olive oil to taste (about 2 tablespoons)
Sea salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wash kale and remove stems. Tear into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until kale is crispy.
Kale Pizzawith Ricotta Cheese and 2 Rs Farm's Tomatoes
Serves 2 to 4 For the dough:
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
Pinch sugar
1 cup Farmer John's flour
Extra virgin olive oil for oiling bowl
In a medium bowl, place water. Add yeast, sugar, and 1 cup flour and mix to combine. Set aside until foamy, about 20 to 30 minutes. Lightly oil another clean bowl and set aside.
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups Farmer John's flour plus more for kneading
Stir in salt and olive oil. Add flour ½ cup at a time until the dough is fairly stiff. When too stiff to stir, place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. Place dough in the oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
For the kale mixture: 4 cups fresh kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped
3 garlic scapes, thinly sliced
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Place kale, garlic scapes, and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and process until kale is broken into manageable size pieces. Add parmesan cheese and puree until blended, but still chunky. Drizzle in olive oil and continue processing until kale is the consistency of a thick pesto.
To assemble pizza: Cooking spray for coating pan
Flour for rolling out dough
Extra virgin olive oil for brushing crust
Kale mixture
2/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 to 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 to 7 sage leaves, slivered
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a 12-inch perforated pizza pan or pizza stone with cooking spray. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to prepared pan, shaking off excess flour. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush dough evenly with oil. Using a knife, spread kale mixture over dough. Spoon teaspoons of ricotta cheese over kale. With the back of a spoon, spread ricotta evenly over kale. Top with tomatoes and sprinkle with sage and Parmesan cheese.Bake 8 to 12 minutes, or until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbly. Cut into wedges and serve.
Shopping for kale: Select richly colored, relatively small bunches of kale. Pass up ones with limp or yellowing leaves.
Storing kale: When placed in perforated plastic bags and stored in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator, kale will keep nicely for 3 to 4 days. The older kale is, the stronger its flavor.
Last year, Community Roots produced some 7,000 pounds of food for neighbors and CSA shareholders on less than one-half acre of land. Although the average amount of produce per foot varies per garden, Kipp estimates that each square foot of space he farms will produce an average of about $1.60 in fresh produce. I must admit I felt out of the loop again. Contrary to my understanding that farming is a rural enterprise, Kipp has demonstrated that commercial scale vegetable production is possible in an urban environment.
On The 4th of July 
