Spring Garden Greens

            The garden is growing greener by the day.  Most people have just gotten their tender plants, such as tomatoes and peppers, set out in the garden.  The seeds that were planted in early spring, such as lettuce and peas are finally ready.  Green onions are growing taller by the day.  Of course, those pesky green weeds are really starting to creep up on us now as well. 

Garlic scapes are another early spring green garden veggie that is often overlooked and under-utilized.  Garlic, which is planted in the fall, sends up a flower stalk in the spring.  It looks kind of like a little green snake that comes out of the middle of the plant.  They should be picked off so that the garlic can concentrate its energy on the bulb underground instead of the flower.  Instead of just discarding them, they can be chopped up and used just like fresh garlic.  I have been a little worried because I felt like my scapes came on much earlier than last year.  I checked my records and last year my article featuring scapes was printed the second week in June, so it looks like they are about two or three weeks early.  My best farmer-friend, Becky, is growing over an acre of garlic and she confirmed that her scapes are ready as well.  We both think our garlic bulbs may be pretty small this year—just another by-product of our funny spring weather this year.

            The following recipe was sent to me by my friend Jayne, who got it from annies-eats.com.  I modified the recipe slightly; it called for leeks, which I changed to garlic scapes and a few other minor alterations.  This delicious dish really highlights a wide variety of early spring vegetables.

Spring Green Risotto

5 c. chicken or vegetable stock

1 ½ tbsp. olive oil

2 green onions, chopped

10 garlic scapes, chopped into ½ in. pieces

1 ½ c. Arborio rice

2/3 c. dry white wine

1 lb. asparagus, cut into ½ in. pieces

1 ½ cups fresh peas (cut into ½ in pieces if using snap or snow peas or shelled if using English peas)

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/3 c. mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese, which is what I used)

½ c. parmesan cheese

3 tbsp. minced fresh chives

            In med. saucepan, heat the stock over med. heat until simmering.  Heat the olive oil in large pan.  Add the green onions and sauté until tender.  Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat with the oil, cooking for about 1 min.  Add the white wine and simmer over med. heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed.  Add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more.  Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus, peas, and scapes in boiling salted water for 4 min. until crisp-tender.  Drain and rinse immediately with cold water to stop cooking.  When the risotto has been cooking for 15 min. add the asparagus, peas, and scapes to the risotto.  Add salt and pepper.  Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.  The entire process should take 25-30 min.  Remove from heat.  Mix in the lemon juice, mascarpone or cream cheese, Parmesan, and chives.  Stir until cheese is melted and creamy.

Radishes: A Spring Classic

            There has been a wide variety of flowers and plants for sale the past couple of weeks at our market.  I’m sure many mothers received some of them as gifts this past Sunday.  Each week we will see an increase in the variety of fresh local produce available for purchase as well.  Asparagus is still in season; lettuce and greens are coming on strong; green onions are ready; and there will even be some sugar snap peas available this week.

All winter we look forward to the taste of fresh vegetables from the garden.  One of the first to be ready, of course, is the radish.  Way back in January, I brought home a small painting of a radish from my friend Nora’s art gallery.  I hung the painting in the kitchen and nearly every day since then I have looked at that radish just waiting for the spring days when I would once again harvest the real thing from my garden.  The smell of the dirt as you pull it out of the ground, the juicy crunch, and the pungent spicy taste, are what make the radish a true spring icon.

            If you are planting a garden with your children or grandchildren, radishes are a great place to start.  The seeds grow so easily and produce so quickly that the kids will feel really successful right off the bat, which will hopefully lead to more gardening enthusiasm.  Also, radishes don’t just come in red, but also come in white, pink, and even purple, so you can have some fun variety in your garden as well. 

            Rich Schroeder, fellow vegetable grower and radish fan, gave me the following recipe this week. 

Red Radish Butter

½ cup radishes

1 cup green onions

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 cup softened butter

Finely chop onions and radishes in a food processor.  Mix with mustard and butter.  Makes ½ cup.  Good on sandwiches, crackers, and with broiled fish and meat.

Flowers and Rhubarb for Mother’s Day

            Last week kicked off the 2012 season of the Zanesville Farmers’ Market, which is held on Saturday mornings from 9:00am to Noon at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds.  Judging from all of the smiling faces, it was a happy and friendly crowd.  Vendors and customers alike were glad to return to the place that will be part of their Saturday routine for the next six months.

            Don’t forget—this Sunday, May 13^th is Mother’s Day and Farmer’s Market is the perfect place to shop for a gift.  A wide selection of flowers is available—flats of annuals to plant in her beds, vegetable plants if she has a garden, hanging baskets to dress up the porch, or pots of perennial flowers that she can enjoy year after year, are some of things you can find to make your mother feel special.  If you buy her flowers, I hope you will take the time to help her plant them as well.  That will mean more than the plants themselves.  If your mother does not have a green thumb, I bet she won’t refuse a pie that she didn’t have to bake herself, some good cheese, or a handmade craft item.  Our market has a lot of variety.

            If you think about it, there are very few vegetables that are perennial in our climate.  Things such as tomatoes and peppers, perennial in their native tropical environments, are killed by our freezing winter temperatures, and here they must be replanted every year as annuals.  Asparagus is a good example of one vegetable that is a perennial in our region.  Another plant that is technically a vegetable, although not always thought of as such, is rhubarb.  Rhubarb is also a perennial, coming back year after year in the early spring.  It seems like everyone’s grandmother used to have a rhubarb patch out in the backyard.  Based on the number of requests we get at market for rhubarb and from the way it flew off the vendors tables last week, it seems that many of these old-time patches have gone by the wayside. 

            One rhubarb plant needs about one square yard of space to grow, but even just one plant would probably provide your family with plenty of rhubarb each season.  I think we should renew the popularity of rhubarb, that old-time favorite, by increasing the number of back yard rhubarb patches.  Here is a yummy rhubarb recipe from “The Joy of Rhubarb” by Theresa Millang.  Give your mom a great reminder of “the good old days” by making this treat for her on Sunday.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler

Filling:

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

3 Tblsp. All-purpose flour

1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp. finely shredded lemon rind

6 cups fresh rhubarb, diced

3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

3 Tblsp. Granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

3 Tblsp. cold butter or margarine

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400º.  Filling:  Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon in large bowl.  Add lemon rind, rhubarb, and strawberries; gently toss until coated.  Drizzle top with vanilla.  Pour mixture into greased 13x9” baking dish.  Bake 10 min.  Topping:  Mix first five topping ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles pea size.  Stir in buttermilk with a fork just until a soft dough is formed.  Drop dough by the tablespoonfuls on top of hot fruit mixture, creating 12 portions.  Continue baking at 400º until topping is puffed and browned about 25 min.  Let stand 10 min. before serving.  Serve warm with strawberry ice cream.

Farmers’ Market is Back in Action

    Saturday, May 5^th is the first Farmers’ Market of the 2012 season at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds.  From 9:00am to Noon you will once again be able to purchase local vegetables, plants, flowers, meats, cheeses, baked goods, and a variety of other products.  Come out not only to shop but to catch up with all of those market friends you haven’t seen since last fall. 

    The weather has been very unusual this spring.  Who would have guessed that March would be warmer than April?  It seems like a lot of the early veggies I planted at the end of March such as lettuce, peas, and radishes, stagnated in the cold weather and barley grew during April.  But now as the temperatures have warmed back up heading into May, plus some much need rain that has fallen this week, things have started to shoot up.  There are so many tasty things to look forward to in the next few weeks. 

    One of the first spring vegetables that you are sure to find at market this week is asparagus.  Nothing beats the fresh taste of asparagus that is locally grown.  Being in season for such a short period, I suggest you get to market early to purchase a bundle or two. 

    My friend Janelle just sent me a tasty new asparagus recipe she got from a blog she follows (101cookbooks.com).  The dish calls for a tahini dressing to be added to the dish after it is cooked.  The dish is good with or without the dressing, so if you are like me and don’t have any tahini in the cupboard, you can skip the dressing.  I substituted two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a splash of Worcestershire sauce instead.  Also, just so you know, it took me more than ten minutes to make this—more like thirty.  I must be a slow cook.

Ten Minute Tasty Asparagus and Brown Rice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 or 2 14-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch segments
3 cups pre-cooked brown rice
1 cup almond slivers, toasted
fine grain sea salt

Tahini Dressing:
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup tahini
zest of one lemon
scant 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Make the dressing by whisking together the garlic, tahini, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt. Set aside.  Add olive oil to a big skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and sprinkling of salt. Let the beans sauté there for a couple minutes (try to get some crusty color on them). Add the garlic and onions. Stir for a minute. Stir in the asparagus with another pinch or two of salt, cover with a lid for a minute or two to steam - just until the asparagus brightens and softens up just a bit. Uncover and stir in the rice and almond slivers. Taste and add more salt if needed (likely). Serve family-style in a big bowl drizzled with a few tablespoons of the tahini dressing; let each person add more dressing to their tastes.  Serves 4-6.

2012 Farmers' Market

Scenes from the market.