When it comes to super-food lists, kale is always a top contender. We’ve heard about the baked chips and green smoothies — hot trends getting plenty of buzz. Even so, it can be tough to muster enduring enthusiasm for food so uber healthy. Where’s the indulgence amidst the virtue?

There are those among us who find kale’s do-goody reputation off-putting — hightailing out the door at the mere suggestion of leafy-green dinner fare, offloading the freshly-delivered bunch to any open-handed soul in sight or pleading with a spouse to cook something else a little less, well, healthful. Whatever your personal feelings, kale deserves a second glance. Bear with me as I explain.

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Monday, October 24th is Food Day, conceived by the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest in an effort to bring together our diverse American public to “push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way”.   Food Day is about feeding the hungry, promoting healthy food and dietary habits, supporting agriculture in harmony with the environment, and providing humane conditions for farm workers and animals.  In kitchens across America, Food Day translates to cooking real food, using fresh ingredients from small, local producers.

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We are fortunate to have an abundance of fruit trees in our garden:  persimmon, lemon, lime, apricot, pomegranate, Asian pear, cherry, orange and apple.  Our side yard feels like a mini orchard, not only treating us to fruit year round, but also wave upon wave of fragrant blossoms in spring.  Heartland born and raised, many of these trees offer experiences that feel out of the ordinary to me, even after 18 years in the Bay Area.  In the Midwest an orange or lemon tree was something exotic, cultivated in an enormous pot and dragged into the house in October to avoid even the slightest possibility of frostbite.  Until our westward move I had never heard of persimmon, Asian pear or pomegranate, so for me these fruits still feel exciting – not yet fully explored. While more on the radar, cherries and apricots are dear to us in that they appear on our trees briefly, only to be gobbled up by backyard troops (birds and squirrels) before we can scarcely blink an eye.

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Recently I wrote about making the most out of every part of our fresh produce:  what’s lately being called stem-to-root cooking.  If we’re not mindful in the kitchen it’s all too easy to generate a mountainous pile of peels, stems, and roots without the slightest effort.  Even in our most thrifty moments there’s still some waste, and throwing it in the trash can seem downright shameful in our reduce, reuse and recycle mindset.

Finding a purpose for kitchen scraps brings to mind a generous present left on our doorstep a while back.  Not the mysterious zucchini you might recall from an August newsletter but equally treasured. This time a container of worm generated, nutrient rich, plant fortifying compost left by a dear friend.  A windfall for the garden – there are few simple gifts more thrilling to receive on a sunny spring day – your birthday still months away.

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