This recipe is from a book in progress, Making Love While Farming: A Field Guide to a Life of Passion and Purpose, being written by Ricky Baruc of the Seeds of Solidarity Farm and Education Center in Orange, Massachusetts. He, Deb Habib, and their teenage son, Levi Baruch are the family behind the farm, and their show, “Seeking the Sacred on the Farm,” was at the Augusta Savage Gallery this past season. On exhibit was a moving and lovely show of ceramics, furniture, mandalas, and photographs revealing the spiritual side of farming. The show is over, but you can still enjoy this salad, taken from a recipe taken frpm a hand-out at the show. We scaled the original down (to serve four), but you can make more, as it is that rare thing, a salad that tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
4-5 big kale leaves
1 lemon
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup each: dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, shaved Parmesan
Salt & pepper
To make:
Destem the kale, tear into small pieces, and place in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the juice of the lemons over the kale, then massage it until quite tender.
Whisk together the olive oil and honey or maple syrup, then drizzle over the kale. Add the dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and cheese. Toss with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Top with shaved Parmesan.
If you like, substitute nuts for the pumpkin seeds, or other dried fruit such as chopped dates or apricots for the cranberries. (We used walnuts when we tried it out.)
For more about the farm, visit seedsofsolidarity.org/
Photograph by Faye Wolfe