Transition

The time between summer and autumn is magical. The first rains come as if to clean the slate, and the rain is warm. There are still tomatoes in the garden and summer squash to be consumed. The leaves are just beginning to turn and drop.

I love to get tomatoes from the garden, cut in half drizzle with a little olive oil, and roast for a quick and delicious roasted tomato soup.

It is so easy and satisfying. I will roast some garlic (do not peel) and herbs on top of the tomatoes, cut side up, at 400f for 45 minutes until soft and browning.

Then I run everything through the food mill, and voila! soup! I would eat it just like that, so full of tomato flavor! It is nice cut with chicken or veg stock too.

We are busy cleaning gutters, preparing the garden, putting up the season (jam!)... warm soup makes it all worth it.

Kale!

I just can't turn down fresh produce.  How could I?  One of the great joys of living in Sonoma County, is our gardens.  Almost everyone I know is growing something (or trying to).  Walking around my neighborhood you can spot: lavender, mint, tomatoes, peas, and chard growing in tiny containers on front porches, or sometimes (literally) in cracks in the sidewalk.  Chelsea takes advantage of her bay windows and grows herbs and tomatoes in her San Francisco apartment.  Folks with more land tend to be more ambitious,  back yards you could easily waste a day in, perhaps eating from it the whole time.  Quince and sour cherry trees.  Berries and greens.  Even now as we prepare for the new season they are eating large delicious kale leaves and they are offering some to me!

Our friend Theresa has that beautiful garden, and I gladly accepted her kale.
I love kale.  I like to eat it just wilted with a little olive oil and lemon.  I would be happy to eat it just that way for dinner any night.  However,  this time I set some aside for something different.

Kale Chips!
Remove the stem and cut the leaves into bite size (chip size) pieces.  Toss the leaves with olive oil and some lemon juice.

Place the leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet (salt if you like) and pop in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees, until crisp.

Kale chips are simple and taste good, and might be just the thing to have for lunch along side a sandwich.