Lovin' our greens

Although there are always a lot of colors at the farm, 

we think of "green" as its signature.

Green being the vibrant color as all plants are growing, 

green being the color of pretty much any "fruit" when it first appears.

Heirloom tomatoes

Celestial fig

green pardon peppers

And of course, "green" now having taken on a larger meaning

to indicate sustainable, healthy growing practices. 

Well, at this moment before summer becomes fall 

and the green shimmer at the farm changes to a golden glow 

(tasting those persimmons yet?)

our persimmons last November

We wanted to celebrate our "greens!" 

So, a shout out to our thriving chard and kale plants 

which continue to inspire the chefs.

There always seems to be a dish on the menu at the girl & the fig

 featuring garden greens. Right now we are serving
the panisse cake with a chickpea purée,
sautéed garden chard, and marinated sheep's milk feta.

Most often, like our chefs, you will cook these leafy greens. 

But you certainly can enjoy them raw too. But, how to deal with the bitter taste? 

Eating Well magazine shares the secret on how to "squeeze your greens:" 

"There's an amazing tool for transforming bitter, dark leafy greens 

into a tender melts-in-your-mouth salad.
It's only an arms length away, and it costs nothing: your hands!   

Watch how the Food Network recommends massaging greens: 

Seriously, try this. It will expand your idea of a salad. 

It's a quick process and retains much of the nutritious benefits to the greens. 

There's been a lot of talk lately this new way to "love" your greens:  

"It's almost like kneading bread dough. It only takes a couple of minutes,

but you'll be amazed at the difference. 

That tough cellulose structure breaks down — wilts, actually — 

and those leaves that once seemed so coarse and fibrous turn silky. 

You can feel it happening. You can see it too — the leaves 

will darken and shrink to almost half their pre-massage volume. 

The flavor changes as well. That pronounced bitterness mellows, 

revealing some of the same depths of sweet green flavor 

you normally get only through long, slow cooking."

greens love you, so love 'em back!

Mom always said it was important to "eat your greens." Here's a new way.

Let us know how it tastes once you've tried it!