View Full Version : What seasonal produce are you eating.
Tussiemussies
4-18-12, 2:30am
Thought it would be interesting to hear what spring produce or meals you are eating lately?
We have been eating asparagus -- roasted until it is crunchy on the ends. It is so good like that, almost like a veggie chip. We haven' been eating any spring meals. Spring meals to me are pierogies -- homemade, with homemade potato salad, sour ream and applesauce for the pierogies mabe some pickled beets. Coconut cram pie for desert!
How about you?
Our CSA is full of leafy greens (kale and cabbage), lettuce, strawberries, radishes, kohlrabi, stuff like that.
We're not getting local produce yet, but I should be able to start cutting asparagus next week. It's really early this year! Probably another month out for strawberries.
Salads, heavy on the arugula. That's really all that's ready here in New England. Most people don't even start their gardens here for another month.
My strawberries are ripening now so I've been enjoying them in the mornings. I'm still eating kale and spinach and grapefruit each day.
The last of the winter greens - broccoli, kale, bok choy, beet greens. The spring cutting greens are sprouting, and all the fruit is in blossom... Strawberries, apples, rasperries, blueberries. In 2 weeks, we'll have fresh salad from the cut 'n' come again greens. They last till July.
Edible flowers are starting too... Nasturtiums up, roses in bus, daylily greens up, rosemary & sage buds forming. They make a nice contribution to salads.
treehugger
4-18-12, 12:44pm
Last year I would have said, "Not focusing on seasonal; we eat what's on sale." But this year, thanks to our new CSA box, we are eating fennel, chard, kale, carrots, spring onions, leeks, red cabbage, collards, and green garlic. Yum!
Every 3 weeks when we get our box, I can't seem to not make potato leek soup. I guess I will keep making it until the leeks stop coming, because I can't imagine getting tired of it. It's so simple and flavorful. I just melt some butter, then cook the sliced leeks (usually 3 good-sized ones) and 3-4 peeled, cubed potatoes until softened, adding salt and a lot of freshly-ground pepper. Then I add 4 or so cups of (homemade) chicken broth and simmer until the vegetables are nice and soft. I partially puree with my immersion blender, season to taste with more salt and pepper, and it’s done. This is one of those “so much more than the sum of its parts” recipe.
Kara
Mint. Apparently a warm March followed by a wet April is just right for mint. This stuff's crazier than zucchini.
asparagus and strawberries!
Mint. Apparently a warm March followed by a wet April is just right for mint. This stuff's crazier than zucchini.
Gregg, what all are you doing with your mint? I have a huge plant of it which survived winter very well, too.
Tussiemussies
4-19-12, 3:11am
Wish I was in a CSA, I'm going to look in my area and find some organic ones for this summer!!!
Blackdog Lin
4-19-12, 5:43am
We just finished off the last of the wild asparagus last night. It was a banner year for our foraging: we gathered just under 10 lbs. this year! A new record! We rotated through steamed-n-buttered asparagus, pasta salad w/asparagus, cream of asparagus soup, beef-n-asparagus stir-fry, and steamed-n-buttered again.
Working now on the wild onions - we have a large patch of 'em at the edge of the garden. Alas, no farmer's markets here, so restricted to grocery store offerings otherwise. Though I am thinking of trying some kale recipes, kale has been available at the store. We've never eaten kale.
Gregg, what all are you doing with your mint? I have a huge plant of it which survived winter very well, too.
Composting! Lol. We've also muddled it in lemonade, iced tea and a few, more adult, beverages. A healthy splash of bourbon, some ginger beer and a little mint. Mmmmmm. I used some in a curry dish the other night, it came out as vindaloo on steroids so the mint helped calm it down a little. Added some to a chilled cucumber soup. That was sublime. Used some in ceviche. That was interesting, but I like it with cilantro a lot more. Definitely open to suggestions. You know the little plastic container of it that you get at the store for $3.49? I'm picking 1 or 2 of those a day and this is mint that was just planted this year and is (thankfully) in a pot!
asparagus and strawberries!
oh, that's the manna of May, love those two!
Though I am thinking of trying some kale recipes, kale has been available at the store. We've never eaten kale.
If you're using kale in a cooked dish, like soup, remember that it takes longer to cook down than other greens. The stuff is sturdy! We grew it when I was a kid. We always had it with Christmas dinner because if you leave it in the ground in the fall you can go out in December, wipe the snow away then just cut and cook. It's that hardy.
We've never eaten kale.
As Gregg mentioned, kale (especially post-frost kale) needs more cooking time than many of the more popular "greens" like spinach. It also has a stronger taste, but I think that flavor stands up to other strong flavors, like salt and garlic. You might not want your introduction to kale be just "steamed and buttered". My wife does not care for strongly-flavored greens, but they are so healthful, so I end up "hiding" kale (or collard greens or turnip greens) in other dishes, like soups or creamed kale (skimmed-milk white sauce). But kale chips -- leaves with the stems removed, cut into bite-size pieces, tossed with kosher salt/olive oil, and roasted -- EVERYONE seems to like those!
Had asparagus over the weekend for the first time this season. Looking forward to eating some more soon!
I just had a delicious chard and spring onion omelette, thanks to this week's CSA box. Lunch will be a salad with various lettuces and strawberries, thanks again to them.
Lessee, we're just finishing off the last of the spinach and carrots that I planted last October. I harvested all the broccoli and cabbage last week, so we'll finish that off in the next few days. My asparagus, which has been in the ground 5 years now, went bonkers this year and we've eaten so much that I'll be happy to see it stop producing. We're still getting sugar snap peas and snow peas, onions and radishes, but I think their days are numbered. I'm seeing a few tiny green tomatoes now and the zucchini should have its first blooms this week.
I told DH that one of the best things in the world, in my opinion, is to be able to walk out the back door and go pick enough veggies for supper. :)
Oh, I left one off! We had our first potatoes the other day - soooo good just steamed and served with butter, salt and pepper.
IshbelRobertson
4-22-12, 5:49pm
Jersey Royals (British special salad potatoes) are now in the shops... YAAAAY. Cost a fortune but so WORTH it.
English asparagus has also appeared. Had our first taste a week or so ago. Our local stuff appears in about 2 weeks from now.
Lessee, we're just finishing off the last of the spinach and carrots that I planted last October. I harvested all the broccoli and cabbage last week, so we'll finish that off in the next few days. My asparagus, which has been in the ground 5 years now, went bonkers this year and we've eaten so much that I'll be happy to see it stop producing. We're still getting sugar snap peas and snow peas, onions and radishes, but I think their days are numbered. I'm seeing a few tiny green tomatoes now and the zucchini should have its first blooms this week.
I told DH that one of the best things in the world, in my opinion, is to be able to walk out the back door and go pick enough veggies for supper. :)
It's interesting that our zones allow us such diversity. Here? Well, the lettuce is at last ready to harvest. The radishes have leaves. The peas are just waking up enough to notice the trellis above their heads. Must learn the best method for potatoes.
Tussiemussies
4-24-12, 4:12am
Ishbel, you seem do happy now that your favorite produce is in stock. Can you give an
idea of the difference in flavors in what we
are used to here in the US? Sounds really interesting,
Wish I could try some myself!
Must learn the best method for potatoes.
My Dad always cut up potatoes in the kitchen that were sprouting and tossed the pieces in the compost pile. Nothing more than that. There was always a bumper crop in that rich soil. The dirt/compost was so loose that to harvest the potatoes all we had to do was grab the plant and pull the whole thing out with all the spuds attached, no digging needed. The plant then went right back on the pile for the next round.
HappyHiker
4-26-12, 7:41pm
Lots and lots of avocados...they've been quite well-priced lately..making fresh guacamole and sandwiches with them sliced, with sliced tomato, Romaine lettuce and a thin slice of red onion, on dark rye bread slathered with a bit of honey mustard. Yum.
I'm curious greenfeast, what have you seen for weather lately and what is normal in your part of the world? I'm pretty much smack dab in the middle of the US. Our February came out a little warmer than average, March pretty much set every record there was for warmth and April has been a complete roller-coaster from hot to cold and back. It's been very strange.
From a gardening standpoint I wish I would have started my plants in early March because we would be eating like kings now, but who knew? The reason I didn't is that May 8th USED to be the date we could count on to be frost free. The US Department of Agriculture this year moved that date back to April 24th for our area. That is more than two weeks earlier than before. It's warming up folks!
Are artichokes in season? I've had a few lately, since I found them reasonably priced at Grocery Outlet. What a treat!
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