Greens, Goddesses & Gab

Kale From The Yard

When it comes to tips for a healthier lifestyle, my husband knows, I always have two rules of thumb “greens and more greens”…and probably some extra zzz’s. Whenever I start sensing a cold going around my house, I turn into the green goddess dominatrix (if those labels can even be mixed). If you’re throat is sore…greens! If you’re energy is low…greens!

Despite my studio apartment (with bathtub in kitchen) upbringings, I have grown more and more into a nature devotee. Like my mother who relocated to the ocean (aka San Diego) over a decade ago, I find myself utterly soothed and excited by the great greens of my backyard. And I never would have thought in my early 20′s with my proud LES self-studded jean jacket that I would even know a life in New York with a backyard. I believed backyards and in-house washing machines only existed in the suburbs.

Chicken Pesto with baby kale, quinoa and beet salad.

However, I do remember my part as the magic genie in Ellen Fisher’s dance (performed at the 9th street garden I believe) and my mother’s planting adventures. So I suppose now I am truly embracing those community gardening experiences to their fullest. This afternoon I happily picked baby kale I planted from seed and cooked it for lunch. I know that my dreams of a full vegetable and fruit garden with live chickens to boot is proof of my naive urban origins, but dreaming is how I get by.