Curly Girl Farm: May Flowers and May Showers

The full “Flower Moon” was last night, May 14^th, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. As the old saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers” and it does sometimes seem that the flowers truly are more beautiful in May than in other months. It’s certainly not that they are as showy or elegant as some of the later flowers such as roses, zinnias, and sunflowers. However, any pop of color against the lush shades of newly emerging greenery are such sight for sore eyes after the drab grays and browns of winter that the flowers seem rather dazzling.

A trip to farmers market offers annuals in almost every hue of the rainbow to add a little extra punch of color to your porches and flower beds. Bright red geraniums, pink and white impatiens, sunny yellow and orange marigolds, blue bachelor buttons, and deep purple petunias, are among the spectrum that can be found.

Mother’s Day weekend at Farmers Market was certainly a wet one. My almost two year old niece, who was visiting from Cincinnati, certainly enjoyed playing in the rain and stomping puddles, but the rest of us mostly huddled under tents and umbrellas or inside the building. As we said--April showers bring May flowers; yet, in contrast--May showers bring impatient farmers. It is hard to get into the fields when the ground is so wet.

Rather than twiddling my thumbs waiting for the ground to dry out, I have been utilizing this time to weed and thin some of the flower beds around the house. It’s amazing how quickly plants like hosta, day lilies, and ground covers can take over an entire flower bed. They sometimes become almost as bad as weeds in terms of choking out other flowers. I recommend thinning these things every year, because when you let them go too long, trust me, it becomes quite a chore to get them back under control.

This week’s recipe features radishes. Radishes are one of the earliest vegetables ready in the spring, most varieties taking only about twenty five days to mature. This year I tried a new variety that was supposed to be ready in only 18 days. Of course, after my radish seeds were in the ground, I forgot to record the date of planting. Once planting season starts my organizational skills and short term memory typically fly out the window, so I’ll probably never know whether or not this particular variety of radish actually only takes three weeks to grow. I was excited when my friend Diane Jahnes brought this salad to our book club because I am always looking for more interesting ways to serves radishes. She got the recipe from finecooking.com. May Day is celebrated on May 1^st and maybe one of these years I’ll get my radishes planted early enough to actually prepare this dish on May Day.

May Day Radish and Parsley Salad

12 oz. trimmed fresh radishes (about 1-1/2 bunches), cut in half lengthwise and then into lengthwise wedges about 1/4 inch wide
1/2 cup whole small (or large torn) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 to 4 Tbs. sliced fresh chives (cut into 1/2-inch lengths), plus chive blossoms if available, for garnish (optional)
1 Tbs. peanut oil
2 Tbs. finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
Kosher salt

Put the radishes, parsley leaves, and chives in a medium bowl. Whisk together the peanut oil, crystallized ginger, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Let sit for a few minutes to let the juices mingle and the ginger soften, then whisk again. Pour and scrape the dressing over the radish-herb mix. Toss and mix well and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently and tasting occasionally. (The radishes will release some liquid and will absorb some of the flavor of the dressing as they sit. They will stay crisp.) Serve the salad in little glass bowls along with some of the juices. If you like, garnish with chive blossoms.