This past fall and winter I had an experiment going with 4 Season Gardening and much to my surprise I have successfully grown winter greens, a variety of  lettuce (corn salad-dutch, claytonia- miners lettuce), carrots, beets and onions, oh, and my beloved Kale. Our lowest temperature so far has been 14 degrees and the Kale has grown and supplied us with organic greens all winter. I consider Kale to be "King" of the garden and it also is a super nutritious food. It contains high levels of beta carotene, vitamin A and E. It also provides folate, iron and potassium.  Kale has protein and calcium, in fact just 1 cup of cooked Kale has 6.4g of protein and 270mg of calcium. Also Kale has bioflavonoids the help protect against cancer and like all greens it is high in fiber. Now when people ask me "where do you get your protein since you do not eat meat," I can say I get it from the "King" of the garden! Eat yours greens!

"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." Song of Solomon 2:12

"The Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork." Psalms 19:1
This picture was taken from the deck on January 24th, 2012

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup  unbleached flour

2 teaspoons yeast

2 Tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten

1tsp. salt

3 Tablespoons honey

3 Tablespoons olive oil (can use other types of oil)

11/4 cup of water

This recipe has been made for a bread machine, but only for the purpose of mixing it up and letting it rise once.  Place  all the ingredients in the bread machine and set it on  the homemade setting. While the dough is mixing it is good idea to check and see if the dough has formed a nice soft dough...not too dry or not too wet. If it seems too dry add a few drops of water at a time until the dough comes together into a soft dough. If the dough is too wet add a Tablespoon of flour as it mixes until you reach the desired soft dough. Allow the dough to rise once in the machine.  Melt 1/4 cup of Earth Balance (or another type of margarine spread)Set aside. Next, mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar or raw sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 After the dough  has risen, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll the dough out using a rolling pin and shape  into a rectangle. The dough should be about a 1/2 inch thick. Spread the margarine  over the rolled out dough leaving 1/2 inch at one end free of margarine. Then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar leaving the 1/2 inch at the same end free of the cinnamon sugar. You can add raisins, nuts, or dried cranberries at this point if you so desire. Begin rolling from the longest end of the rectangle and roll in a tight roll ending where you have allowed the 1/2 inch dough free of the margarine and sugar mixture. At the end of the roll pinch the dough together to help keep the dough together once the rolls  are cut. Cut the rolls into 1 inch pieces and place on a lined baking sheet(parchment paper) or lightly oil a baking sheet. Place the cut rolls side by side and cover with a light weight towel in a warm place until the rolls have risen almost double. 

Place in oven. Check at  20 minutes to see if the rolls have begun to brown, if so continue to cook until the rolls are a light golden brown around the edges and tops. Remove from oven and cool. You can add a powdered sugar glaze by mixing 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract and add 1 Tablespoon of water and mix and continue adding a few drops of water until you reach the desired consistency of the icing. I like for it to easily pour off the end of a spoon and then I drizzle it over the cooled rolls. Enjoy!

"There seem to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth. The first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their conquered neighbors. This is robbery. The second by commerce, which is generally cheating. The third by agriculture, the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle, wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life and his virtuous industry."- Benjamin Franklin

"Globalized industrialized food is not cheap; it is too costly for the Earth, for the farmers, for our health".  Vandana Shiva