By mid-October, the mornings have a chill and more leafy greens start to show up on the Farm Stand, including kale. Its leaves hold up to heat, soak up a good broth, and cook fast enough for a weeknight dinner. Cooler weather also tends to sweeten kale, so the bunches that arrive this time of year often taste milder than the ones from midsummer.
In 2007, Judith Irving, Steve Reid, and their daughter, Calley Hastings, brought home a single French Alpine doe named Jupiter. They had a modest plan for a backyard homestead on their property in Brookfield, Vt. What grew out of it was Fat Toad Farm, and eventually, one of the more beloved caramel sauces in the country.
A pot of beans costs almost nothing, takes almost no attention, and keeps in the fridge for the better part of a week. What it gives back is protein, fiber, and a depth of flavor that most pantry ingredients never reach. They are also, it should be said, one of the more forgiving things you can cook.
