One dish meal

There are things that need to be shared and the meal I made tonight is one of them. It is so simple but I am assuming orginal also.

Three potatoes
Some Kale
Four pieces of bacon
A hand full of cilantro, Chinese chives and basil

Since I have read about commercially grown potatoes I will never eat any potatoe skins again. I do try to buy organic potatoes but sometimes I do not have them.  I peel my potatoes for this meal and cut in one inche cubes for quick boiling.  To this water I add some sea salt, the only kind I buy.  In the meantime, I purchase all my meat from a good butcher shop that knows the fields that the animals have grown on and the farmers that cared for them in a healthy last century manner. I put the bacon strips in a fry pan on low and go into the garden. 

Kale is the most giving vegetable that I have ever planted.  It goes in the ground in late summer and giving all winter and now it is May and I am still going into the garden and adding it five days a week to my meals.  I planted one bed of it last fall and did protect it during a few cold spells last winter with a plastic hoop house.  I plant four or five different varieties so I never get bored.  I also have about four or five plants from previous years that I still harvest from also.  I have learn to harvest from the bottom leaves and the plant can go for a couple year.  My kale bed has been under planted with leeks last week.  I will see how that works out.

Chives, as anyone knows, is the herbs forever.  It spreads and spreads.  I have two kinds, the common and the Chinese or Garlic Chive.  The purple flower are blooming right now and they are eatable, attract the bees and a stable for me.  But about today.  I first cut a lot of garlic chives because I am needing the space for other herbs in a week or so, then on to the regular chives.  This on top of my lettuce spinder fulled with kale.  Next my stop is the ten pots of basil I have started.  I top off a few plants.

I find basil is the easiest seed to germinated and one of the most tender plants to grow.  The latter because I always want to put it outdoors too early.  Last year I had exercised some patience and I was harvesting basil forever!  This year, I have discovered the joy and health of Holy Basil at the encouraging of my daughter in law.  Easy to start, different taste but oh so interesting. After  the research it,  is now a standard in my herb garden.  A little reading on herbs has taught me that I have viewed herbs as a favor instead of a medicine and food.  I am exploring the new ways of looking at my plants.

By this time, I have headed back to the house to check on the potatoes and bacon  with the lettuce spinner full.  I quickly pull the stems from the kale and tear it into small pieces, rinse and put on top  of the potatoes for some steaming.   The bacon is crisp, sit aside.  Next I put stem from the basil and take off any dry tops of the chives.  This very large hand full is placed on the cutting board and I chop the whole herbal pile.

Drain the potatoes and soften, bright green kale and put in a large mixing bowl is the next step.  I crunch up the bacon into bits sizes and added the fresh herbs.  Mix, stir and it is dinner.  No dressing.  Now I know that cheese, oil or dressing would probably would make the dinner party but we are not hosting tonight we are country eating.  It is tasty and oh, so good.