Food Basics

Garnish with Kale

You don't often think of the Desert Southwest as being an agricultural center, but here in Yuma AZ, right on the Mexico and California borders, we grow massive quantities of things like lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and citrus fruits. Right now the season for these things is winding down, but we're stocking our freezer for the months ahead.

There's really nothing like the taste of fresh produce right out of the field! You really can't freeze lettuce, but we get our fill of that while it's available. We also grow kale and flowering kale here -- that pretty dark green, purple or white garnish you see often in restaurants.

One of the reasons they use kale as a garnish is that it has staying power. It can sit on a buffet at room temperature for hours without wilting, and it's easily arranged on a platter to make anything look fancy. It's usually widely available most of the year, and the price is not a big concern, because you don't need much to dress up a dish.

Beans

The musical fruit!

Soaking beans overnight, I'm told, is the source of at least some of the resulting windy effect. Anyway, whether that's true or not, this method is quicker. The secret to good-tasting beans is using lots of water, and a good dose of salt.

Cover 1 lb package dry beans in a pot with water, then add a couple more cups of H2O. Add 1 Tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. (by the clock.) Turn off heat, cover, and let stand for an hour.

Check to see if all the water has been absorbed. If it has, add a couple of cups more. Keep an eye on them and add more water as needed. Turn the heat back on and resume cooking. Beans are done when you take a couple out of the pot on a spoon, blow on them, and the skins burst.

For any recipe requiring beans, except for bean soup, they must be fully cooked first.