Aren’t y’all loving all the wonderful bounty that’s available at the Community Farmer’s Markets these Fall days? I sure am, and I’m not even able to go as much as I want due to my crazy work schedule. Despite, I’m having some friends pick me up a few items so that I can get my CFM fix each week, and nothing I’ve been brought disappoints.

Greens are in full swing, butternut squash, Mercier Orchard apples, lots and lots of mushrooms, and TURNIPS. Oh, how I love turnips. I used to hate turnips. I thought they were stupid and tasteless… which is actually the same for a lot of vegetables I grew up trying. Not to blame my mother’s cooking as she definitely tried, but  I would taste vegetables like turnips or beets once and they would probably be from a grocery store and way way way out of season.  I would taste them and think, “wow, these taste like nasty nothingness.” Imagine that?! And imagine my surprise, when I got older, started thinking about my food more and when and where it comes from and all that changed when I bought them locally and in season. Imagine all the things that I went back and tried and they tasted so different and SO MUCH better! How about that? Fall is a wonderful season to get out and try some fruits and veggies from the CFM markets. There are so many different varieties of kale and turnips and mushrooms, you’re bound to find one that you like.

Sadly, my camera is still out of commission, but i did snap a few pics of my kale that I got from the Decatur Market last week. Kale is great hearty green to keep around. It stays fresh for a couple days and it is a great addition to smoothies, soups, and casseroles. I find that a lot of people are thrown off by their heartiness and tend to not want to eat it raw in salad form, but I’m here to tell you that you would be missing out if you did not have a kale salad or two during these lovely Fall days!

To start, for most kale recipes, it is going to be to your benefit to de-stem. The stems are full of nutrients and great to keep and cook down in other recipes, but for salads, pilafs, casseroles, etc, the stem won’t do. So, first up de stem your kale and give it a nice fine chop! (Here‘s a good article about using kale stems in other recipes). Next up, kale is a tougher green, so you want to work the salad dressing in enough to soften it. I would work in the dressing a good 5- 10 minutes before serving, and the salad will keep dressed till the next day, which is convenient. Third up, this recipe is certainly about kale and all it’s glory, but it’s also about salad dressing. Salad dressing purchased at grocery stores is one of the most processed foods on the planet. Unless you’re buying avery expensive organic dressing, you’re probably getting a dressing that is loaded with fat and preservatives. Not cool. Thankfully, salad dressing is SO EASY to make and keeps well in jars in the fridge. One of my favorite go-to dressings is simply olive oil, dijon, garlic, and a vinegar like champagne vinegar or sherry vinegar. I’ve been on a miso kick this week, so I spiced  things up with a little miso garlic dressing. I love garlic so I added an extra clove, but for the recipe I just put 1 clove.

Kale Salad with Miso + Garlic Dressing 

servings 4  time  10 minutes

• 1 bunch kale
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2-4 TBS shredded parmesan
• 2 TBS miso paste (found at Sevananda)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 TBS Duke’s Mayonaise (optional)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, sesame oil, or canola oil
• 1 TBS tamari
• 1 TBS acid I used the juice of an orange and it was delicious, a lemon will do as well)

1. combine kale, raisins, and parmesan into bowl and toss.
2. Add miso, oil, mayo, tamari, and juiced orange into a food processor and mix until totally combined and smooth
3. pour over salad and mix well allowing the dressing to really soak  into the kale.

As I mentioned, there are so may awesome fruits, veggies, and other items to be had at the CFM markets this week. ! We hope to see you there and happy cooking!

Cheers!