On Thursday we washed, chopped, and froze kale.
We had 41 plants and it made enough for 57 large meals and several smaller meals for our grandparents.
We stripped the leaves off the plants on Tuesday, gathering 5 1/2 garbage bags full.
The first step on Thursday was to wash it twice in the tub. Meghan, Warren, and I started on the first bag.
When we were finished washing we took it down to the kitchen, where we chopped it in the blender. We filled the blender with kale, added some water, and chopped just until the leaves were all into the water. Meanwhile, Allison and Leah started washing the next bagful.
(Leah chopping)
We put the kale through the strainer to get rid of the water and then packed it into freezer bags.
(Emily filling bags)
It took most of the day to get all the kale done. We worked in teams, so we weren't necessarily all working at one time, but it was a good day's work. We listened to a radio drama of The Chronicles of Narnia while we were working, which made it fun.:)
We eat it mixed with mashed potatoes. The kale is boiled for about 10 minutes before adding it to mashed potatoes. The real name for this is kale stumpot, (EDIT - I was corrected. The proper name is boerenkool stampot, literally translated kale hash) but we call it green potatoes. It tastes delicious topped with mustard and served with sausage.
Justine
12 comments:
Thanks for working so hard to get all that kale washed and chopped!!
I am glad it is done and over with=)
also can't wait to eat it!
MEGHAN
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hI jUSTINE,
iT DID MAKE IT MORE FUN TO LISTEN TO nARNIA WHILE WE WERE WORKING. wHO TOOK THE FIRST PICTURE?
lEAH
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We still have to pull our four plants out of the garden. We get about a dozen meals out of our plants. We've never tried it with mustard though... that just might have to happpen this week!
The "authentic" name is Boerenkool Stamppot which literally translated is Kale Hash.... somehow it sounds better in Dutch eh?
Next time you should come and borrow our food processor. You can eliminate adding water and then straining it out again! You also keep a more of those wonderful nutrients in the kale!
hay justine
here in holland we call it boeren kool and we eat it just as you eat it but then with rookworst, it is smoked cooked sausage and sometimes little peaces of chopped pickels.
we are actually eating boerenkool tonight.
greatings ruth
Hi Justine,
I wish I could say we have kale (or the dutch version: Boerenkool);) to harvest this year..... but we don't. Mom planted them way too late and so they are so small that we got about 3 meals from them..... :(
Anyways, in recent years we have picked, cleaned and taken the stems out of it, and then put it into old pillowcases. We put the pillowcases in the wash machine on the spin option to get the water out..... it saves work on straining the water out. Then we throw the entire pillowcase into the freezer (sometimes its a hard fit, but we make it squash in there somehow). When it is totally frozen all you have to do is crush it someway or another..... since it is frozen it breaks just like that. You don't even have to throw it in the food processor, and it is alot less clean-up. From there it goes into freezer bags and back to the freezer to be eaten on some busy, cold winter day!!! ;)
So ya... That's how we do it..... And I'm going to miss those those yummy sausage, boerenkool & pickle suppers this winter. (I don't like the mustard option, my siblings do though) ;)
Enjoy your week!!!
-Emily W.
I guess I got it half in English and half in Dutch, oops. It does sound better in Dutch.:)
Leah - Allison took the first picture, and maybe the second.
Emily - It sounds like a good idea to wash it in a pillowcase. We did wash ours in the washing machine once, but my dad had to take the machine apart to clean it out after.
Thanks for the comments!
Justine
We actually wash it in the kitchen sink first and check for bugs and all and take the hard bottom stems off. Then it goes in the pillowcases and washer only on the spin cycle just to get the water out.....
And about what you did one year, I can just imagine how "happy" your dad was about that!!!! I know my dad would be rather unwilling to take apart the washer for the reason of boerenkool!!! ;)
-Emily W.
thanks justine
for keeping this a secret
like your blog and like reading it everyday
if there is enything you really would like just give a yell ill see what i can do
greatings ruth
Oh, I like that freezer idea ... I guess it really has to be dry so that it doesn't get clumpy ... probably why you put it in the washing machine.
I've tried it in the dryer before ... but realized a bit too late that I should have put it in a pillow case or something as more of it was going out the dryer then staying in ... or at least it seemed like it. I've also done it in the oven and dried it out that way. How effective that is really depends on how much you have to do as it does need to go in a pretty long time (having a gas well helps that part). I really liked that as then I didn't have to freeze it or take up freezer space. I just crumpled it up and put it in a big container and scooped some as needed.
I've also done the food processor way. Lots of different ways to do it ... but whatever way I've done it it's always tasted better then what you get in the cans at the dutch store.
We eat our topped with margarine and vinegar or pickle juice and sprinkled with salt. Then we chopped up our smoked sausage and mix it through along with some bacon. Yummmy!!!
Ruth - I like nice secrets like that.:)
Topped with Roast Beef gravy is my FAVOURITE way to eat it.
We don't have any in our freezer....maybe Lydia and I should find some Kale plants and get chopping!! :)
Mmmmm
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