Thank you for a wonderful 2019! 

We are CLOSED for the season.  Join us Opening Day, March 27, 2020 for a whole new season of Family Fun on the Farm!  See you in the Spring!!

What’s Ripe and Ready for Picking?

Sign up for free U-Pick Alerts! You'll always be the first to know what's ripe and ready for picking at Great Country Farms.

Thanks for signing up!

By submitting this form, you are granting: Great Country Farms permission to email you. You may unsubscribe via the link found at the bottom of every email. (See our Email Privacy Policy for details.) Emails are serviced by Constant Contact.
Close

Great Country Farms

Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, Produce Farm, U-Pick, Field Trips in Loudoun County, VA

Pick your Own Fruit Farm

CLOSED for the 2019 season.

Winter Office Hours: Tuesday-Thursdays 10am-4pm
540-554-2073
18780 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont, VA 20135

Extended Forecast
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Get U-Pick Alerts
  • Home
  • About
    • Attractions
  • U-Pick/Farm Market
    • Pick your own: What’s in season?
    • Crops By Season
    • U-Pick Tips and FAQs
  • Roosteraunt
  • CSA/Fan
    • CSA Produce Membership
    • Community Group Sites
    • Fan of the Farm Season Pass
    • CSA Frequently Asked Questions
    • 2019 CSA Membership Agreement
    • Neighborhood Farming Since 1993
    • Recipes
    • Sample Produce List
  • Picnics
    • Company Picnic Ideas
    • Meetings & Team Building
    • Barn Wedding Venue
    • Family Celebrations
    • Picnic Venues
  • Birthdays
    • Barnyard Bash
    • Evening Bonfire
    • Gem Mining Adventure
  • Field Trips
    • School Field Trips
      • Strawberry Tour
      • Gem Mining Tour
      • Garden Tour
      • Pollinator Tour
      • Apple Tour
      • Pumpkin- Fall Tour
    • Summer Camps
  • Festivals
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Farmhand Central
    • Donations
    • Employment Opportunities

Kale as Tender as Parsley

April 16, 2015 by Mark Dewey

Braised kale with pintos and quinoa.

Braised kale with pintos and quinoa.

I ate my kale with pinto beans and quinoa — not a fancy dish, but cheap and nourishing. First I braised the kale with some onion, and since heat softens the flavor of kale, sauteed onion controlled the flavor of the dish. That was all right. I had eaten a lot of the kale raw that afternoon, so I knew what it was trying to say.

IMG_1171When you eat this kale raw, it wants you to know that it shares genus and phylum with cabbage and broccoli. It has that same astringent note you find in cabbage — the one that comes on late, at the back of your mouth, when you’re about to swallow — and the same bright grassiness that makes your mouth kind of curl around raw broccoli.

People say that the stuff in bags marked Kale at grocery stores doesn’t taste like this kale, and apparently the kale that comes in bags has to marinate in something acidic for half an hour before it’s chewable, and apparently the stalks on that kind of kale are so hard that they have to be removed before bagging, or they’ll knock the crowns off your teeth, but I haven’t eaten kale from a bag in so long that I don’t remember if those awful things are true about bag kale or not — Oh, the sweet forgetful bliss of real food!

Come and get your share.

Filed Under: Eat, On Foggy Bottom Road Tagged With: brassicas, cabbage, great country farms, kale

Join Our Award Winning Produce Delivery (CSA) Program

Now is the time to join our Community Support Agriculture (CSA) program, which offers your family 20 weeks of freshly picked fruits and vegetables grown just for you at Great Country Farms.

Learn more about our CSA

What’s Ripe and Ready for Picking?

Strawberry Season is usually mid-May to Early June! Sign up for our email newsletter and receive free U-Pick alerts! You’ll always be the first to know what’s ripe and ready for picking at Great Country Farms.

Sign up for U-Pick alerts

Latest from the Farm Blog

What’s My Delivery Day?

Why Drink Apple Cider Vinegar?

Microbiome Is Our Inner Soil

Learning to Love Our Bacteria

CSA 2018 Survey Results

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events.

View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
  • Add to Apple Calendar
  • Add to other calendar
  • Export to XML

Connect With Us

Follow us on Social Media and stay up-to-date with all the wonderful happenings and fun events at our farm!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

© Copyright 2015 Great Country Farms - All Rights Reserved
18780 Foggy Bottom Road Bluemont, Virginia 20135
540-554-2073

Small Business Websites by 5.12 Design Lab · Admin

▲