Kale; green beans (bush).
Having discharged my inaugural duties (honorably enough, I hope) yesterday, now it's time for some real gardening stuff.

As usual this morning I paid a visit to my veggies. The kale spoke to me loudest. Here is a partial of my kale plantation (two of four containers shown)

I planted these when the weather was cool, and they have given us plenty of good side dishes. But why are the leaves so small? What vermin or varmint chews at it diligently? Why can't I see it? Yes, these pots are in the greenhouse, where it's hot (not a good choice)--they are there because they get irrigated by drip lines... (good enough reason?).

A side thought about kale. It's the vegetable that proves I'm consistent when I say I don't like my veggies overcooked. Say what? Yes, it's the exception that confirms the rule! I steam those suckers into submission for 30 minutes or more. Then I chop them into small shreds. Then I prepare some caramelized onions (ok, it's Nancy does that--I haven't mastered it yet), add some slivers of portobello mushroom, salt, pepper, and sautee the whole thing in olive oil (and sometimes some butter) for another five or ten minutes. Then I add some verdicchio wine (other white wines will do), cover the pan, and keeping the flame very low, I let the dish materialize. This is how I turn chewy wax paper into food.

Then the beans cried for help, for two reasons, the first of which I picture  here.

What hurt these leaves? Might the culprit be the hail that occasionally accompanies the monsoon rains common here this time of year? Don't know. Only a few of the plants are so damaged, including one in the greenhouse, which exculpates the hail. I haven't googled this yet; maybe I should ...
This is all for today. Gotta run.