Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 106

5 Beautiful Things

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The Five Most Beautiful Things in the World This Week

This new feature is designed to inspire you to look at the world around you, to take note of the season at hand and to capture it – in memory or on film – for posterity. I will be choosing five photos each week for Beekman1802.com with this aim in mind. We're calling the feature, The Five Most Beautiful Things In The World This Week. This week, it's all about enjoying that final retreat before winter's end.

As the season boldly clings to our upturned collars and curled toes, winter's memories are warmer than we expect. Retreat to the warmth of the kitchen and revel here a little longer. The gusto of spring and all of its 'to-dos' unfurl quickly, pushing us out into the sunlight with a hurried urgency. Listen to the silence for a moment and remember.

White are the far-off fields, and white

The fading forests grow;

The wind dies out along the heights,

And denser still the snow

A gathering weight on roof and tree,

Falls down scarce audibly

The meadows and far-sheeted streams

Lie still without a sound;

Like some soft minister of dreams

The snow-fall hoods me around;

In wood and water, earth and air

Silence is everywhere

Save when at lonely spells

Some farmer's sleigh, urged on,

With rustling runners and sharp bells

Swings by me and is gone;

From the empty space I hear

A sound remote and clear

The barking of a dog,

To cattle, is sharply pealed,

Borne echoing from some wayside stall

Or barnyard far afield;

Then all is silent and the snow falls

Settling soft and slow

The evening deepens and the grey

Folds closer round the sky

The world seems shrouded,

so far away.

Its noises sleep, and I as secret as

Yon buried stream plod dumbly on

and dream.

I dream….

 

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PHOTOS:

1. Round House in Little Thetford, England, near Ely; tourism brochure

2. Man: photographer unknown from the D.S Dundee catalog

3. Bed: photo by William Hereford for Kinfolk magazine

4. Pommegranates: photographer unknown; from photoproblem.tumblr.com

5. Hot chocolate: photographer unknown: from browndresswithwhitedots.tumblr.com

Poem "Snow" by Archibald Lampman, 1887

Andrew Ritchie is the creator of Martha Moments, a blog devoted Martha-Stewart related content and her community of supporters. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada, and has been a longtime friend of Brent & Josh, Beekman 1802 and Sharon Springs. Each week he'll scour the world (wide web) to find the 5 most beautiful things to inspire you. Follow Andrew on Pinterest. 

 

Tenonanatchi Tales

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Greetings from the Beekman 1802 history bloggers Chris and Carl. Since we're calling our blog "Tenonanatchi Tales," we thought we'd start with something about a Native American. We might call her a local celebrity since, although she dates back to the 17th century, she recently made the news!

The Iroquoian name Tenonanatchi means "river running though the mountains" and has been used by Native Americans to refer to the Mohawk River, along which the Mohawk Indians once had numerous longhouses. It can also be applied to other rivers and streams in the region coursing the Adirondacks Mountains to the north and the Catskill Mountains to the south. The village of Sharon Springs, south of the Mohawk, is part of the greater Tenonanatchi area.

 

Kateri: The Lily of the Mohawks

Kateri Tekakwitha, daughter of a Mohawk chief and a Christianized Abenaki captive, was born in 1656 at the Mohawk village of Ossernenon near present-day Auriesville, NY, on the south side of  the Mohawk River – about 25 miles from present-day Sharon Springs. Her parents and her brother died in a smallpox epidemic when she was four. Kateri survived the disease although her skin was severely scarred and her eyesight weakened. She was raised by an uncle, also a chief.

In 1666, following the destruction of a number of Mohawk villages along the south bank of the river by a French expedition with Native allies in 1666, Kateri moved with some of her people to the north side of the river. She grew up in the village of Caughnawaga near present-day Fonda.

Kateri witnessed Christianity firsthand when French missionaries visited the area's villages. Against her uncle's wishes, she was baptized when 20 years old under the name Catherine (Kateri is the Iroquoian pronunciation of that name). She practiced her religion with extreme devotion – reportedly sleeping on a bed of thorns – despite ostracism by her people. In 1677, she fled to Canada in a canoe with Christianized Oneida who had visited her village.

Kateri settled near a Christian community of Mohawk – also called Caughnawaga (or Kahnawake) – on the St. Lawrence River outside Montreal. She presented a plan to establish a convent on Heron Island and, although it was rejected, she was allowed to make a vow of chastity and become a nun. She continued to be fanatical in her devotions and reportedly had someone flagellate her every Sunday,

It is said that when Kateri died at the age of 24 in 1680, a miracle occurred – her pockmarks from smallpox disappeared. She was buried near the La Chine Rapids, not far from  Kahnawake. People visiting her grave have claimed to experience visions and to be cured of illnesses.

In 1884, Kateri became a candidate for canonization by the Roman Catholic Church; in 1943, she was declared venerable; then, in 1980, she was beatified, the second step toward sainthood; in December 2011, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Blessed Kateri will be canonized on October 21, 2012, making her the first Native American woman to be declared a saint.

The Jesuits maintain a shrine to Kateri at her first home near Auriesville (National Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs); the Franciscans have a shrine at her second home near Fonda (National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha); and she is honored at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. A statue of her is on the outside of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de Beaupré in Quebec. And she is celebrated at the Kahnawake Reserve in Quebec.

Kateri Tekawitha (sometimes spelled Takaqueetha) has been referred to as the Mohawk Maiden and also as the Lily of the Mohawks, the lily symbolizing purity in Catholic tradition.

 

 

The History Boys are

Chris Campbell has made his permanent home in Cherry Valley, NY. The Campbell family dates back to 1739 in this town, situated about eight miles from Sharon Springs. Some family members were captured by Tories and Iroquois allies in the Cherry Valley Massacre of 1778 during the American Revolution and taken to Canada, released two years later in Albany as part of a prisoner exchange. Chris is a rare book and map collector and has had a lifelong interest in history, especially relating to upstate New York and colonial land patents. He was the founder and first chairman of the Cherry Valley Planning Board and has worked as a surveyor and realtor as well as a researcher for the Otsego County map department. His hobbies include Ham radio.

 

Carl Waldman, also living in Cherry Valley, is a former archivist for the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown. He is he author of a number of reference books published by Facts On File, including Atlas of the North American Indian and Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, both originally published in the 1980s and both in their third editions. He is the co-author of Encyclopedia of Exploration (2005) and Encyclopedia of European Peoples (2006). Carl has also done screenwriting about Native Americans, including an episode of Miami Vice entitled "Indian Wars" and the Legend of Two-Path, a drama about the Native American side of Raleigh's Lost Colony, shown at Festival Park on Roanoke Island in North Carolina. His hobbies include music and he works with young people in the Performance and Production Workshops at the Cherry Valley Old School.

Baby Goat Cuteness

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This year's first baby goats have arrived! Let's peek in on them:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Goat Birthing Video

[image error] Birthing season is a very special time at Beekman 1802 Farm. It begins in mid February and extends into May. Farmer John times the fall breeding so that the births occur in two week surges throughout the spring. It's by far John's busiest time of year, and he travels back and forth between the barn all hours of the day and night.

Even with John's vigilance, some goat births occur untended. Which is fine. The birthing process, lest we humans forget, is a natural process. But when any of us are in the barn during birthing season, we always inspect the herd to see if any mothers are in, or starting labor. Recently, two does began birthing simultaneously. We were there with our iphones, so we shot a good deal of video. (Sometimes one-handed.) Even though there are hundreds of live births each season at Beekman 1802 Farm, each one is just as special as the last. We hope you'll feel the thrill vicariously watching this video.

Caution: This video shows live goat births. It may not be suitable for all audiences.

Click here to view the embedded video.

To learn even more about the pregnancy and birth process, please read our post "Beekman Babies"

Preparing the Spring Garden, Part 5: Mulching & Pest Control

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A week closer to spring and I catch myself going out of my way to "casually" drive by my favorite nurseries checking to see for the first signs of emerging inventory.  I know those faithful pansies will be smiling back at me soon…..

Mulch gardens to reduce weeding.  This also helps to conserve moisture, supply nutrients and make the gardens look nicer.  Don't make the mistake of mulching too early.  You need to allow the soil to warm up and dry out.  Timing will vary depending on your hardiness zone and if you have sandy or clay soil.  My 'green flag' for swinging the mulch shovel is when most perennial foliage is around 4" high.  For perennial gardens I recommend nutrient rich, organic mulches such as aged compost, manures, leaves and finely shredded wood.  Spread mulch approximately two to three inches thick around plants, being careful not to build it up against the stems.  Bulkier bark and wood mulches are best applied around trees and shrubs.

If your garden is plagued by chomping slugs and snails, scatter iron phosphate granules around affected plants. Escar-Go and Sluggo are two popular brands but you can usually find less expensive options such as Slug Magic.  Just make sure iron phosphate is the active ingredient on the label.  I know many folks use stale beer for controlling 'slimers'.  Personally, I can't stand sharing my beer with slugs. Plus, as a proponent of responsible drinking, I can't forget the story from one distraught gardener who complained of drunk, staggering squirrels in her yard.   Iron phosphate granules are a safe deterrent that won't harm children, pets or wildlife plus any that are not ingested will breakdown into your soil and fertilize your plants.  Everyone wins except you know who.  Other organic products for winning the war against 'slimers' include Concern (diatomaceous earth) and Magic Bullet Garden Dust.  You can find many of these organic products online at Garden Supply Company (www.gardeners.com), Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com) or at your local garden center.

Beat nasty powdery mildew that strikes Bee Balm, Phlox, Lilacs and False Sunflowers (Heliopsis) in summer by taking action in early May.  Use an organic solution of baking soda and water.  In a spray bottle, stir one teaspoon of baking soda into a quart of water and add 3 to 4 drops of liquid dish detergent, vegetable oil or Murphy's Oil Soap.  Shake well and spray away.  Make sure to hit both upper and lower leaf surfaces.  Spray once every two weeks through mid-July.  Another organic recipe calls for mixing one cup of milk and a quart of water.  Once again add a few drops of liquid 'adhesive' as above and spray. Either method will 'wash that gray away'; something my son has been asking me to do with my hair.  I keep telling him that SILVER hair (not gray) is a mark of distinction and a sign of wisdom.  He's not buying it…..

If a plant still ends up being too much fuss, then get rid of it.  Toss it in the compost pile or give it to a 'friend'.  Remember, they're not children.  As Nike puts it 'Just Do It'.  Here's to a great gardening season!

 

Perennially Yours,

Kerry Ann Mendez

 

Kerry Ann Mendez is a lecturer, designer, writer, consultant, and the owner of Perennially Yours, a business specializing in low-maintenance perennial gardening and landscaping.  Mendez also recently published two top-selling gardening books: The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Top Ten Lists and Top Ten Lists for Beautiful Shade Gardens. To learn more, please visit www.pyours.com or call (518) 885-3471

 

Learn more about preparing your garden for Spring.  Click here

Preparing the Spring Garden, Part 5

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A week closer to spring and I catch myself going out of my way to "casually" drive by my favorite nurseries checking to see for the first signs of emerging inventory.  I know those faithful pansies will be smiling back at me soon…..

Mulch gardens to reduce weeding.  This also helps to conserve moisture, supply nutrients and make the gardens look nicer.  Don't make the mistake of mulching too early.  You need to allow the soil to warm up and dry out.  Timing will vary depending on your hardiness zone and if you have sandy or clay soil.  My 'green flag' for swinging the mulch shovel is when most perennial foliage is around 4" high.  For perennial gardens I recommend nutrient rich, organic mulches such as aged compost, manures, leaves and finely shredded wood.  Spread mulch approximately two to three inches thick around plants, being careful not to build it up against the stems.  Bulkier bark and wood mulches are best applied around trees and shrubs.

If your garden is plagued by chomping slugs and snails, scatter iron phosphate granules around affected plants. Escar-Go and Sluggo are two popular brands but you can usually find less expensive options such as Slug Magic.  Just make sure iron phosphate is the active ingredient on the label.  I know many folks use stale beer for controlling 'slimers'.  Personally, I can't stand sharing my beer with slugs. Plus, as a proponent of responsible drinking, I can't forget the story from one distraught gardener who complained of drunk, staggering squirrels in her yard.   Iron phosphate granules are a safe deterrent that won't harm children, pets or wildlife plus any that are not ingested will breakdown into your soil and fertilize your plants.  Everyone wins except you know who.  Other organic products for winning the war against 'slimers' include Concern (diatomaceous earth) and Magic Bullet Garden Dust.  You can find many of these organic products online at Garden Supply Company (www.gardeners.com), Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com) or at your local garden center.

Beat nasty powdery mildew that strikes Bee Balm, Phlox, Lilacs and False Sunflowers (Heliopsis) in summer by taking action in early May.  Use an organic solution of baking soda and water.  In a spray bottle, stir one teaspoon of baking soda into a quart of water and add 3 to 4 drops of liquid dish detergent, vegetable oil or Murphy's Oil Soap.  Shake well and spray away.  Make sure to hit both upper and lower leaf surfaces.  Spray once every two weeks through mid-July.  Another organic recipe calls for mixing one cup of milk and a quart of water.  Once again add a few drops of liquid 'adhesive' as above and spray. Either method will 'wash that gray away'; something my son has been asking me to do with my hair.  I keep telling him that SILVER hair (not gray) is a mark of distinction and a sign of wisdom.  He's not buying it…..

If a plant still ends up being too much fuss, then get rid of it.  Toss it in the compost pile or give it to a 'friend'.  Remember, they're not children.  As Nike puts it 'Just Do It'.  Here's to a great gardening season!

 

Perennially Yours,

Kerry Ann Mendez

 

Kerry Ann Mendez is a lecturer, designer, writer, consultant, and the owner of Perennially Yours, a business specializing in low-maintenance perennial gardening and landscaping.  Mendez also recently published two top-selling gardening books: The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Top Ten Lists and Top Ten Lists for Beautiful Shade Gardens. To learn more, please visit www.pyours.com or call (518) 885-3471

 

Learn more about preparing your garden for Spring.  Click here

Kale Chips for Every Craving

 

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Sometimes we have a salty, crunchy craving, but a satisfying snack doesn't have to be unhealthy.

 

Kale Chips

 

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

one bunch of kale

your creativity

 

Instructions:

1.   Choosing the largest leaves, gently tear the leaves from the stems

2.  Place leaves in a large bowl and gently massage the leaves with olive oil until leaves are fully coated

3.  Now the fun part.  Choose a topping that will meet your craving.  Simply salty?  Sprinkle in sea salt (and maybe a dash of vinegar). Cheese please?  Grate some parmesan or other hard cheese.  BBQ chips are your downfall?  Sprinkle a little taco seasoning. And red pepper flakes are always a favorite with us.

4.  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place leaves flat on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of leaves just start to blacken. Check frequently. Depending on the tenderness of the leaves, they may crisp in as little as 8 minutes.

5.  Remove from oven and transfer to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Starting a New Presidents Day Tradition

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Will a bundle like this become the Presidents Day equivalent of Thanksgiving turkey? Probably not.

 

Photos of our Presidents Day Meal can be found at the bottom of this post.

Why are some of our holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween) laden with traditions and celebrations, while others (Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Columbus Day) generally amount to nothing more than a three-day weekend? Not that we have anything against three-day weekends, mind you.

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You probably don't recognize this president. But he was the first to declare George Washington's birthday a Federal Holiday. In fact, that just might be the most memorable thing he did. (It's Chester Arthur.)

In the calendar of holidays, Presidents Day seems particularly moribund. It falls during the bleakest time of year, so picnics are pretty much out of the question for most of the nation. Ditto fireworks, water skiing, or sack races.  In fact, "Presidents Day" doesn't really even exist on the Federal Holiday calendar. The U.S. government still officially only recognizes Washington's Birthday, even though in reality, the holiday will never again fall on his actual birth date. (Feb 22nd.) That's because of a pair of muddled congressional bills enacted in 1968 and 1971 which consolidated most federal holidays to Mondays.  Add into this mish-mosh of holiday evolution the fact that several U.S. states also traditionally celebrated Abraham Lincoln's birthday (Feb 12th) and were forced to consolidate both birthdays into one date. All in all, it's no wonder that there's no special Presidents Day Cake, or Presidents Day Tree, or Presidents Day Turkey Egg Hunt.

As a result, we don't have much to look forward to each February other than a good Presidents Day Snowblower Sale.

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Our well-worn edition of the White House Cook Book

So we decided to do something about that. We thought that food might be a good place to start a tradition, and where better to draw recipes from than the "White House Cook Book," first published in 1887? Coincidentally, the book was also partially penned by Hugo Ziemann, who was the White House Steward Chef to President Chester Arthur, who happened to be the President who first declared Washington's Birthday a Federal Holiday. (For more on the history of this bestselling cookbook, read our post here.)

Let's just admit right now that we don't think we've discovered the next Easter Ham. Or Christmas Goose. In fact, we likely won't make most of this meal ever again. But it was fun to try, and we'll attempt some more "White House" dishes next year. And most importantly, we did something to honor the men who have helped lead our great country other than purchase a La-Z-Boy at 50% off.

Presidents Day Menu:

Spiced Beef

Baked Tomatoes

Potato Snow

Lemon Toast

Below are actual scans of the recipes as they appeared in our White House Cookbook. You can see there is much left open to interpretation in each one. At the bottom of this post are photos of the preparation and the resulting meal.

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You have to love a recipe confident enough to declare itself "Excellent." We wound up modifying this dish fairly significantly for several reasons. One: who has a 24 pound round of beef in their freezer? And two: trying to buy a pound of saltpetre these days could likely land you on some sort of Federal Watch List (it's used in explosives.) So we used a small 4lb roast, covered it in salt and spices, and let it sit for three days, instead of eight. Also, who knows what "broad tape" is? We assumed it must have meant some sort of ribbon, so we substituted strips of cheesecloth.  Check out the photos at the bottom of this post for the full process.

 

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This baked tomato recipe seemed easy enough. In fact it seems downright plain. Which it was. Exactly as advertised.

 

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Who could pass up a recipe that sounds as pretty as Potato Snow? We hoped the authors meant something different by "mealy" than we understand it to mean today. We also love that they added a postscript about how French cooks prepare mashed potatoes. Because when we think of French cuisine, we think of mashed potatoes.

 

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For dessert we decided to prepare this lovely recipe – Lemon Toast. Sounds dainty and First Lady-ish, right? It's also a bit misleading. The toast itself has no lemon, and the lemon sauce was, well, a disaster. Check out the photos below of the sauce-that-wasn't and the solution we came up with.

Below are some photos of our meal (click on any photo to begin the slide show) :

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If, after all this, you still think you'd like to experiment with more recipes found in the White House Cook Book, we recommend this re-printed edition.

Eat (sort of) like a President

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Our two editions of the "White House Cook Book" and its knock-off cousin "The Presidential Cookbook" have seen a lot of use over the last century.

 

Julia Child. Martha Stewart. Jacques Pepin. Frances Folsom Cleveland.

Okay, so maybe you're not that familiar with Mrs. Cleveland. But she likely sold more cookbooks than any of the others. Possibly even combined. But she didn't do it alone. She also had the help of Ida McKinley, Edith Roosevelt, Mrs James Monroe, Martha Jefferson Randolph, Dolly Madison, Martha Washington and other early First Ladies of the United States. But Frances wasn't even a contributor to her cookbook. Nor were any of the other First Ladies. The mega-bestselling "White House Cookbook," first published in 1887, had no input from any of the Presidents' wives. Nor any of the Presidents. It didn't even have a single recipe by any of the White House Chefs.

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About the only connection the original edition had to the White House First Ladies was its dedication...

 

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...and some unflattering portraits.

The 1887 first edition of the cookbook, titled "White House Cook Book: A Selection of Choice Recipes Original and Selected, During a Period of Forty Years' Practical Housekeeping" was written by Mrs Fanny Lemira Gillette of Wisconsin, who used the title as nothing more than an advertising gimmick. And it was a gimmick that worked. Homemakers from around the country devoured the book. It was the height of American Victorianism and the Gilded Age. The economy was growing at its fastest rate in history. Flush with newfound wealth, many American families could finally turn away from the subsistence living and pioneering that marked its founding. They sought out instructions on the art of fine living, looking to the European aristocratic lifestyle, and its nearest equivalent here at home – the White House. It was the perfect time to launch a homemaking encyclopedia based upon White House style…even it had no connection to the White House at all.

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One of the later editions.

 

But the success of the initial publication soon caught the eye of one Hugo Ziemann, who had been the Steward Chef to President Arthur. He partnered with Mrs Fanny Lemira Gillette and added a few minor tidbits to the book detailing some famous meals he'd cooked in the White House (including Frances Folsom Cleveland's wedding lunch,) and White House etiquette instructions (including seating arrangements should a sitting President be dining at your table.) In total, Mr.Ziemann added only six pages to the total 590 in the book, but it was enough to add an acceptable legitimacy to the volume.

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The President should sit right in the middle of one of the half-oval cutouts of your dining room table. What? Your dining room table isn't shaped like this? If you really want to live like a First Lady, you should probably start sawing away at your table right now.

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Hugo's suggested menu for your next White House State Dinner. For that added touch of pretense, it's entirely in French.

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We're not going to lie. This layout for glasses at the table is quite helpful.

The book continued to sell by the hundreds of thousands, and became the standard gift for young American brides. It was reprinted, with few changes, for many decades, and even spawned a knock-off – "The Presidential Cookbook" in 1896. This volume was slightly smaller and supported by advertising throughout its pages, making it much more affordable for new brides.

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This was the cheaper, knock-off version of the "White House Cook Book" titled the "Presidential Cook Book." Cleveland Stoveworks was the major sponsor, and their ads are throughout.

 

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An engraving of the curiously small and empty White House Kitchen, with an inset of Hugo Ziemann himself. Somehow we get the feeling that this looks nothing like the real kitchen. And perhaps not even the real Hugo.

We own two editions of the White House Cookbook, (the oldest of which was a gift from our friend Linda Turner,) and one edition of the Presidential Cookbook. The information inside is nearly exactly the same in all of them. The title was revived in 1996 for a centennial edition that included updated recipes (ie: low fat/low sodium, ugh) and a few new recipes by Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton. But for those truly interested in 1880′s "White House" Cookery, we recommend getting a reprinted edition of the original.

 

Creamy Golden Tomato & Kale Soup

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We grow dozens of varieties of heirloom tomatoes here at the farm. Not only do we enjoy their many different flavors, but we also take advantage of their different hues when it comes time for canning and preserving. For our jarred tomatoes, we separate our harvest into four categories: red/purple, orange/yellow, green & white. This allows us to enjoy their wonderful diversity all winter long. (Check out this recipe for White Tomato Soup.)

We created this Golden Tomato & Kale Soup one weekend afternoon when we both coming down with a slight cold. We wanted the stay-home-from-school comfort of a cream of tomato soup, with a little extra nutrition to kick some influenza butt. Kale probably packs the best punch for your vitamin dollars of any green vegetable. For this recipe we used jars of our yellow/orange tomatoes, which are generally the sweeter than red or green ones. We thought they would complement the bitter kale and sour cream that are also in the recipe. But if you only have red tomatoes available, they will work just the same and taste delicious.

A nice addition to this is a garnish of chopped cooked chicken, should you have some left over from a previous meal.

 

 Creamy Golden Tomato & Kale Soup

3 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped coarsely

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 qts crushed tomatoes (whole tomatoes will work as well, but an an extra qt. jar.)

1 qt chicken stock

1 bottle dark beer

1/2 teaspoon thyme

10 large basil leaves, sliced thinly

5 large handfuls of chopped kale

1.5 C Sour Cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Gently heat olive oil in a very large, heavy pot.  (The pot will need to hold a large volume of fresh kale in addition to the liquid ingredients.) Add onion and garlic, and saute over medium low heat until golden and translucent. Add tomatoes (with liquid,) chicken stock, beer & spices. Gently simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 hours or until liquid volume is reduced by 1/3.  Use very low heat, and do not allow tomatoes to scorch on the bottom. Using an immersion blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. (Or transfer mixture to blender or food processor, process until smooth, and return to pot.)  Bring mixure back to a simmer, and add chopped kale. Simmer for 5 minutes more until kale has softened. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. Add sour cream and basil, stir in completely. (Sour cream must be added once soup is well below simmering to keep from curdling.) Slowly reheat, preventing boiling, add salt & pepper to taste, and serve.