Green Onions

Here is this week's "What's in Season" article:

Green Onions: A Great Way to Add Color and Flavor

Onions were the second thing I planted in my garden after the peas.  Now the tops are getting tall but the bulbs have not yet started to form.  When you harvest the onions before the bulb forms they are called green onions.  The mild flavor of green onions makes them a great addition to many dishes without overpowering the other ingredients.  Plus, when you use the whole stalk, the green color makes for a very eye appealing dish. 

This time of year it is great to go to the garden, pull one out of the ground, peel off the top layer of skin to get rid of the dirt, and munch away.  They are also great when added to vegetable trays.  However, I try to only eat them at family events—you have to know that the people you will be conversing with really love you and don’t care about your breath.  Either that or be sure you’ve brought along some really strong gum.

When I was pretty young I remember my grandma’s cousin came to visit from Chicago.  We were amazed when, upon her arrival, she began to pull several food items out of the large purse she had carried with her on the plane (this was in the days before 9/11.)  Out came a box of spaghetti, followed by a small jar of mayonnaise, a bundle of green onions, and a package of crab meat (the flight from Chicago was just enough time for the frozen crab meat to unthaw.)  She wanted to be sure to bring food to the gathering and, before we knew it, she had whipped together these ingredients and made a delicious pasta salad.

This pasta salad with crab meat and green onions has since become a staple at most of our family gatherings.  The great thing is that you can make it up the day before; I actually think it tastes better if it has been in the refrigerator for a day.  The recipe is very easily multiplied to make large batches and you don’t have to get the amounts exact; I just add things to taste. 

My friend Shannon and I were making this pasta salad for our best friend Laura’s wedding reception several years ago.  I left Shannon in charge of cooking the spaghetti because I had to do some last minute sewing on the bridesmaids’ dresses.  Upon my return to the kitchen, practically every pot and bowl in sight was filled with spaghetti.  I hadn’t given her specific quantities, just told her to start cooking the spaghetti.  She was literally up to her elbows in pasta.  She looked at me with exasperation and said she didn’t know where she was possibly going to put the next batch.  I had to laugh—there was enough to feed an army!  Perhaps I should have given more specific instructions.  Here is the recipe if you don’t want to “wing it” like I do.   

Betty Jean’s Crab & Green Onion Pasta Salad

·         6 oz. Spaghetti – cooked and cooled

·         8 oz. package frozen Crab Meat (we use the imitation crab meat)

·         ½ to ¾ cup Miracle Whip

·         One bunch of green onions

·         Salt & Pepper to taste

Chop green onions and crab meat.  Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Here is Shannon (aka Shenanigans) making pasta for Laura's wedding.  This is in Laura's parents kitchen in Chillicothe, April 2004.  I thought I had a better picture of all the pasta, but at least you can see all the pots over on the counter.  Laura and Shannon were two of my housemates in college for those of you who don't know them.

This is me mixing up the pasta salad.  Yes, I'm using my hand, but it was clean and my other arm was broken (like two weeks before the wedding!) so that was the easiest way to do it.

Salad Days

Here is my "What's in Season" column from this past week:

            Sunday was Mother’s Day and salad was supposed to be on the menu.  The family was gathering at my Grandma’s for a potluck dinner.  My grandmother is the amazing mother of ten children and has lots of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, so there was much to celebrate.  Unfortunately, as my aunt stepped out of the car, the head of lettuce she was balancing on top of her other parcels toppled off the stack, rolled down the steep bank next to the driveway, and landed right in the creek.  One of my cousins bravely ran downstream and retrieved the lettuce as it floated by.  The soggy head of lettuce was carried into the kitchen and placed in the sink.  Always the frugal one, I thought I would salvage it, making sure to rinse it thoroughly.  However, as I undid the plastic wrapper and the brown “crick water” poured out, the family quickly came to the consensus that we weren’t going to eat it. 

            It is widely accepted in my family that my Aunt Theresa can make the best salad hands down.  It’s funny how putting together a salad should be a no-brainer, but some people just seem to have a knack for doing it better than the rest of us.  I had brought a big bowl of my fresh spinach to the dinner, so in spite of losing the lettuce to the creek, we should have still had a good salad.  However, I didn’t really take the time to “dress it up” like my aunt would have, so I took the bowl home pretty much as full as when I brought it. 

            Over the next few weeks salad greens will be a staple at the Farmers’ Market.  These will include head lettuce and loose-leaf lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, and asian greens, to name a few.  I encourage everyone to take advantage of them while they are available because the summer heat will all too quickly bring the season to a halt.  Being a true Zanesville native, I love my iceberg/mozzarella salads as much as the next person, but in these early summer days while there is a diverse selection of fresh local greens, I opt to use these in my salad instead.

            Of my aunt’s salads, probably my favorite is her wilted lettuce salad.  This dressing is so yummy—it would be a good way to introduce your family to some of the more unfamiliar “fancy” greens.  In addition to the lettuce, it uses bacon and eggs, both of which can be purchased fresh from our market vendors each week.  The following amounts are all approximate as she does not use a recipe.

Theresa’s Wilted Lettuce Salad

·         1 lb Bacon

·         Vinegar – approx. 2 cups

·         Sugar, brown or white, to taste

·         Hard Boiled Eggs

·         Chopped Onions

·         Salad Greens

Place salad greens in large bowl.  Add chopped onions and sliced hard boiled eggs.  Brown bacon in skillet and drain grease.  Put bacon back in skillet and pour in the vinegar.  Add sugar and simmer for approx. 15 min.  Pour warm dressing over the salad and set the pan over the bowl to wilt the lettuce.  Enjoy! 

My spinach with hard boiled eggs and onions before the dressing.

Wilting the greens after pouring on the dressing.

Finished product.  I don't think I put added enough sugar.  It was good but perhaps the vinegar was a little too strong.  Not quite like Theresa's!

Spring Happenings

Here are some random shots from the last few weeks that show some of things I've been up to.  Enjoy!

Mushroom hunting was the big pastime for a couple of weeks.  This is Becky and I at her parent's house with some of our first finds.  We got drenched by a downpour and had to cross a raging creek, but we came home with the goodies!

The ones dad and I found on Easter Sunday (notice who found the most!)

This is the first year I have ever found "false morels."  I found several but this was the biggest.  I cut it in half to show the inside--they are not hollow.  Don't eat them!

Uncle Tom and Aunt Martha stopped down and I fried them their first wild mushrooms!

Relaxing in the hammock with my goddaughter and the cat.

Hanging out with Kelley and Cecilia.  We were supposed to be working!

Helping me plant hollyhock seeds!

Visiting with my gypsies!  Ash on the left with little Lucy and Sara on the right--I'm holding her son Keith.  Both babies are 9 months old.  So cute!

A visit from Mason and Maizy Barnes.  Such cuties!

Also visiting were Molly and Elijah Henderson.  How can you resist that smile?!

Kelley and her gingerbread birthday cake.  No, she's not 2,610 years old--I didn't have the right candles so 26+10 works, right?

Carol and I drinking our Mint Juleps and wearing our hats for the Derby.

Yum!

Ginny with her Derby Pie!

Lovely Derby Pies.

Corey, Jim, and Tom installing Grandma's new lamp post on Mother's Day.

Uncle John studying the directions.

Mom with Duncan and Jud with Babe.  Duncan and Jud have the same hair color!

Here is this week's "What's in Season Article."

Mint: A Refreshingly Good Herb

            I am often asked the question, by people who are not gardening aficionados, “What is the difference between an ‘annual’ and a ‘perennial’?”  The simple answer is that an annual is a plant you have to re-plant every year (annually); it is not hardy enough to make it through the winter.  A perennial is a plant that comes back each year.  This Sunday is, of course, Mother’s Day.  This is the day that many people will tell you it is safe to start planting your annuals in the ground.  It seems to depend on who you talk to as to the “frost free” date for our area.  My great-grandma always used to say not to plant anything before May 15^th.  Still others say to wait until May 20^th.  Whatever date you go by, there is really no guarantee that there will not still be a frost.  The last couple of years we have had frost in some areas of the county even after the 20th.  For most home gardeners this is not a huge worry.  Your plants and flowers can be easily covered.  For growers such as myself who put out thousands of vegetable plants each year (and my operation is small scale compared to most!) it can be risky business to plant too early.  Right now we are all waiting for the ground to dry out, so it will push planting dates back a little anyway.

            Not being able to do anything in the fields for the last couple of weeks I have turned my attention to cleaning up the flower beds and uncovering the perennials that are pushing their way up through the winter leaf debris cover.  The first bed I tackled was my herb garden; many of which are perennials.  Things like chives, sage, oregano, and even parsley, can make it through the winter.  Even though it is too early to find very many local vegetables, it is so nice to be able to begin using fresh herbs again.  One herb that seems common to most backyards, and is highly under-utilized, in my opinion, is mint.  There are many types of mint, but regular old spearmint is my favorite.  I was able to enjoy its flavor all winter because last fall I dried a bunch to drink in my tea.  In my opinion, simple mint tea was better than any of the fancy fruit teas I purchased for a much higher price. 

A big event this weekend is the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.  My mom’s best friend, Carol, hosts a party every year to celebrate and watch the race.  The ladies wear big hats just like they do at the actual race and drink mint juleps, which is the traditional drink of choice at the derby.  Perhaps you have to be a mint lover such as myself to enjoy a mint julep, for they seem to get mixed reviews from those who have had them.  Or, perhaps, they’ve just never had a good mint julep such as the ones prepared by Carol.  Here is how she does it:  Up to a week ahead of time you can make the “simple syrup” and store it in the fridge.  To do this, bring equal parts water and sugar to a rolling boil then pour over an equal amount of mint leaves (i.e. one cup of each), let it steep for two hours, then strain out the mint leaves.  When you are ready for your drinks, mix the syrup with an equal amount of good bourbon, and pour over crushed ice in a glass.  If time allows, mix the syrup and bourbon ahead to “marry” the flavors.  Another key is to crush the ice as finely as possible. Carol’s ice is almost as fine as shaved ice—that plus the mint makes for such a cool and refreshing drink.

If you like mint juleps, you may also like mojitos, another drink made with fresh mint.  This time the mint is paired with lime juice, sugar, rum, and club soda.  The lime and mint make an interesting and very refreshing combination.  I ran across a very easy recipe that pairs those two flavors with asparagus.  I probably wouldn’t have come up with that one on my own—but I tried it and it was really good. (simplyrecipes.com)

Asparagus with Lime and Mint

·        1 lb fresh asparagus

·        Olive oil

·        Salt & Pepper

·        Juice of 1 fresh lime

·        1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Sauté asparagus in olive oil over med/high heat for five minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Squeeze lime juice over asparagus and sprinkle on the mint.

Asparagus with Lime and Mint served with Shirer Bros. Lemon Pepper Chicken cooked on the grill.