What did you do in the garden today?

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I picked a 5 gallon bucket full of kale leaves this morning. Got 'em prepped and cooking on the stove with a bunch of chives. It's time to start getting the coming winter's veggies in the freezer.

The poor kale plants look kind of naked, but they'll grow more leaves. Tomorrow I'll do the same thing with the collard greens. Things were getting pretty tight in the brassica patch.

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When do you consider kale leaves ready to harvest? I’ve never grown kale previously and I’ve got more starts outside than I planned for, so Lord willing there will be kale for me to try in the future.

 

[Smokerbill]

When do you consider kale leaves ready to harvest? I’ve never grown kale previously and I’ve got more starts outside than I planned for, so Lord willing there will be kale for me to try in the future.

This time I waited until there were lots of leaves at least a foot long just so I'd have a big batch to work with. But I don't think it really matters. When a leaf is big enough to see it's big enough to eat. LOL. I'm sure younger leaves would be more tender and cook more quickly.

I cut off all the lower leaves and left the crown of smaller leaves so the plants will continue growing and producing through the summer. Last year they started to bolt in early fall.

A few years ago I had plants that survived through the winter, even in temps in the teens. Didn't phase the red Russian kale, which is cold hardy.

 

[jerryse]

This one?
https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/353/bmj.i1246.full.pdf

yes.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

This time I waited until there were lots of leaves at least a foot long just so I'd have a big batch to work with. But I don't think it really matters. When a leaf is big enough to see it's big enough to eat. LOL. I'm sure younger leaves would be more tender and cook more quickly.

I cut off all the lower leaves and left the crown of smaller leaves so the plants will continue growing and producing through the summer. Last year they started to bolt in early fall.

A few years ago I had plants that survived through the winter, even in temps in the teens. Didn't phase the red Russian kale, which is cold hardy.

When I have a really good crop of the curly kale growing I will pick young leaves to add to the lettuce or chard. The young leaves are tender enough to eat raw. Very tasty. On the subject of statins, I’m not a big fan of them either and have managed to negotiate a daily dose of 20 mg. That’s half the lowest dose. Statins can raise your blood sugar levels and can damage your liver. I did agree to try Zetia, which is not a statin and my ldl cholesterol level is around 50. Zetia works in the digestive tract and so far no bad side effects since starting it January 2024. I do think the cholesterol guidelines are recommended for people who have had at least one cardiac event. I’ve had 2. I do believe you need to do what makes sense to you and how your body reacts. You know how your body feels better than anyone. Btw: my most recent visit with my cardiologist showed no evidence of an irregular heart beat. That was a puzzlement for him. I’m still convinced it was gas. Lol!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I picked our first cucumber yesterday and we ate it last night. I've never had a cucumber in May grown in southern Iowa.

 

[Smokerbill]

Here's what's left of my kale plants after cutting all the big leaves off. Behind the kale the lighter green, shorter plants are cabbages. Taller ones in the rear are the collards and they're going down tomorrow. LOL

 

[jerryse]

My experience with statins. I got really sick one winter many years ago and thought I was going to die. No one could figure out what it was or so they said. I got better after a few months. My doctor said at some point I had hepatitis. Tried to give blood plasma a couple of years later and on the questionnaire, they asked about hepatitis. I checked yes. They wanted me to find out what type. I called the doctor office and a couple days later they called back and said drug induced. Yes statins. They hid that from me when I was sick. Yes, I have liver damage from statins. More to the story later.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

My doctors check my liver function every six months. My liver enzymes were really bad when I was lugging a chainsaw over my back slope. My knees were also giving me problems. I was just doing too much for my 70 plus body. Since then the medical team watches my liver function as well as kidney egfr. Eating healthy does a lot of good for your body. And understanding your physical limitations.

 

[Sally PB]

Still SOOOO many plants to get into the garden! We're going to visit friends who are an hour away tomorrow, so I can pretty much scratch tomorrow off the list. Sunday and Monday are going to be Get The Garden In days.

For as good as my garden starts are this year, the garden is coming together VERY slowly. I feel like I'm so far behind!

The cold week before Memorial Day didn't help.

 

[WthrLady]

What brand was it... so we all can avoid it

Whatever Harbor Freight carries. I put about 200$ into it just to make it stable and functional. It's the panels that don't last. Plastic just does NOT like hail or UV, and their clips that hold them in are useless beyond about 25 mph.