This is a one-hour Garden Class I presented in my Greenhouse that was published nationwide

 

Get to know my good friend, Anitra, who has a lot of great tips on healthy eating!

Check out this short video and subscribe to her free newsletters on her website!

1 bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 cremini or baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
1 bay leaf
1 pinch herbs de Provence
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup barley
plenty of vegetable stock or water
salt and pepper

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute till they become translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute for a few minutes until they brown. Next stir in the kale. Add the bay leaf, herbs de Provence and the fresh thyme (minus the stems). Wash the barley in some warm water, drain, and add the barley. Add more than enough stock to cover the veggies and barley. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and let simmer for 25-45 minutes until the barley is cooked. (If you have quick cooking barley, it will become ready in 20-25 minutes. Otherwise, it might take up to 45 minutes or so.)

Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!

Select small, young beets, cook until tender, dip into cold water. Peel off skins.

Make the following syrup:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water or beet juice
2 cups strong vinegar
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Pour over beets and boil 10 minutes. Pack into sterilized quart jars and seal at once.

USU Extension service says to process 40 minutes in a water bath. You will have to decide how many beets you have as to how many batches of syrup you make. Be sure to stir it altogether good and then bottle. The spices all go to the bottom of the jar so I shake them up good before I open them. This recipe is from an old Kerr book. USU Ext. would have you put more vinegar in them too, but it would ruin them and I haven`t ever had any trouble with them and they keep for years. Enjoy! If your beets are big, just cut them up.I put them in a big pan when they are cooked and make enough syrup to put over them so it looks like it would fit in the quarts.

 

 

2 carrots, small cubes

2 potatoes, small cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 leeks, finely chopped
2 stalks of young garlic, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup cauliflower, small pieces
4-5 sugar snap peas, rough chopped

2-3 sprigs of thyme
1 pinch of herbs de Provence
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sheet puff pastry, at room temperature
2 tbsp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1 cup half and half
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a ovenproof casserole dish.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the leeks and garlic, and saute until they become translucent. Next add the carrots and potatoes, and saute for 3-5 minutes until they start to become tender. Add the remaining vegetables, the thyme leaves (without the actual stems), and herbs de Provence.

Saute for 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir. Next, add the stock and half & half. Let the vegetable mixture simmer. The flour will help to thicken the sauce. Add the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into the casserole. Top with a sheet of puff pastry cut to size. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top. Bake until the puff pastry rises and the vegetable mixture bubbles. This could take anywhere from 25-45 minutes, depending on the thickness and temperature of the puff pastry sheet.

Serve hot.

Note: You could add pretty much any vegetable you have on hand. Just ensure that everything is chopped to roughly the same size.