Beehive Kitchen

The Beehive had a great time giving back to the community in partnering with Wildwood Oak Winery for a farm to table Wine Pairing dinner for the Redlands Conservancy at Gateway Ranch on June 4, 2022 . A majority of the produce that was used came from the farms and gardens printed in the menu. The menu is at the end of photos. We didn't get a picture of the avocado soup, gumbo or dessert since they flew off the line into the dining area.

The Beehive tested a new wine pairing with Los Empleados tonight. Roasted chicken thighs with sweet potatoes and homegrown beets and sautéed brussel sprouts. The acid from the wine paired beautifully with the sweet earthiness from the veggies and the juices from the chicken. The bitterness from the sprouts were a nice contrast. Thanks to Uptown Wine Merchant for keeping it local.

It's that time of year when greens are abundant. Do you have kale taking over your garden or not sure what to do with what you bought? We have a solution for you. Kale makes wonderful chips that you can make in your oven or dehydrator.

Whatever method you choose the first few steps are the same. Rinse and dry your kale. Our kale came from the garden so we triple rinsed it. Once dry remove the ribs from the kale and cut into pieces.

If you want kale chips and not plain dehydrated kale, toss kale with olive oil and seasoning of your choice. We used kosher salt. Place in 275 preheated oven and bake until crisp, turning leaves halfway through. About 20 minutes. Enjoy within 1 week.

If you want to use a dehydrator method is the same as above for dressing the kale, but place on dehydrator trays, set temperature for 125 and timer for 4 hours. If not all pieces are done at 4 hours remove crisp pieces and return kale for another 1-2 hours.

Both methods above are the same if you want to dehydrate without oil and seasoning. Plain kale should be stored in airtight container for up to 6 months. Use as is or powder for use in soups, stews, or whatever your imagination comes up with.

My kitchen is a Beehive of activity today. 2 pressure canners going with 12 1/2 quarts of butternut squash cubes, a European yogurt maker, and not pictured a dehydrator with butternut squash puree to be made into powder.