vegetables tagged posts

My backyard garden seems a little withered these days. I don’t know if it was the heavy rain we had, or lack of tender loving care while we were away, or my total lack of a green thumb. The lettuce was great when it was young,

but the last head of lettuce seems so faded that I have decided to leave it as bunny food. I pulled out the beets too early and was disappointed to find they weren’t ready and maybe never would be. The pea vine has now died at the top and whatever peas that were too small to pick before we left are still hanging on, but are stunted and too tiny to eat.

Learning to garden is like learning to cook; practice makes perfect. We already have some ideas about how we can improve for next year. It’s exciting to plant a variety of tiny plants and watch them flourish under your care. My son learned to grow his own food, deepening his appreciation of real food. We will be planting a backyard vegetable garden every summer from now on; a habit I hope he will continue as an adult.

It was well worth the effort. The best part was watching my son swoon over the sweet peas he plucked straight from the vine, after I encouraged him to raid my garden. Between the two of us, none of the peas ever made it to the pot.

The first tomatoes we picked, moments before we ate them, were dripping with sunshine. The fresh mint has been added to everything from olive-oil-dressed boiled potatoes, to a Southeast Asian salad, and jugs of cold water. Hopefully, we will continue to enjoy our tomatoes and herbs throughout the summer.

The kale grew hearty and strong (I think it overcrowded the poor little beets). We harvested all the kale last week and enjoyed it at dinner. I was never a kale fan until I learned to oven roast it. Addictive as popcorn, it makes a wonderful, light and healthy snack that both adults and kids love.

Olive my Oven-Roasted Kale so much that we serve it every week for dinner. If you need your oven for more than one recipe, you can make the kale first and then hold it at room temperature on your table while cooking the rest of your dinner.  But be forewarned, the kale will likely be gobbled down as soon as it hits the table. In fact….we gobbled it down before I remembered to take the photo. Sorry!

Olive’s Oven-Roasted Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided in two equal parts

Kosher salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Remove the stems and centre ribs from the kale by folding each leaf in half along the centre rib line and grasping both sides of the leaf with one hand and the end of the stem with the other; then gently pull the stem away from the leaf as far as it will go, not worrying if the kale tears into smaller pieces. Wash the kale carefully and dry thoroughly.
3. Divide the kale evenly between the two baking sheets. Drizzle liberally with the olive oil and generously sprinkle the salt over top. Toss to thoroughly coat each leaf with olive oil. Spread out in a single layer on each baking sheet.
4. Place one tray on each oven rack and roast the kale leaves for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir; then rotate the position of the trays. Continue roasting until the kale is crisp and dark green (not brown), about 5 minutes longer (but check at about 4 minutes).
   
5. Transfer to a serving platter and hold at room temperature until you are ready to serve. Try to resist polishing off the whole bowl yourself when nobody is looking.

After pulling out copious quantities of weeds from my garden the other day, my body was crying out for greens. I decided to let my British shine, pull a Mrs. Patmore (TV series Downton Abbey’s quick-witted head cook), and cook up a pot of Chilled Watercress Soup.

Watercress doesn’t seem as popular today as it was when I was a child. When I saw a farmer rave about watercress on a recent Jamie Oliver episode, I decided it was high time that I got better acquainted with this healthy green.

Here is my version of Chilled Watercress Soup, refreshing and satisfying. It’s a fast and easy recipe. Olive to make up a batch, store it in the fridge, then pull it out for a quick lunch or serve it in small bowls as an elegant starter to a summer dinner.

Now, where’s that Daisy to help me with the dishes?

Olive’s Chilled Watercress Soup

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions are tender,  stirring frequently so that potatoes don’t stick.

Stir in the water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the watercress and simmer just until the watercress is wilted but still bright green, only about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat immediately. Stir in the butter.

Let cool, then carefully purée in a blender or food processor until smooth. Adjust salt to bring out the flavour, if necessary. Chill in the fridge. Serve cold, straight from the fridge. Garnish with a tablespoon of light ricotta cheese, a crumble of soft chèvre, or a sprinkling of snipped chives.

Olive local field asparagus. I have eaten so much of it this season that it’s practically growing out of my ears. I have been longing to taste asparagus raw, the moment after it is freshly picked. I really wanted to make it out to Andrews’ Scenic Acres to pick my own asparagus this season but it was raining every day that was available to me to make the trip. I even thought of delaying this post by one day so I could get out there today. Guess what it’s doing this morning? Raining! Thankfully, there has been plenty of local field asparagus available at our local farmers’ markets.

Olive asparagus prepared in many different ways but my go-to recipe is a healthy, simple oven-roasted asparagus that once cooked, needs little (if any) adornment – perhaps just a squeeze of lemon.

I prefer to eat my asparagus the day I buy it but it will keep in your fridge okay for 2 to 3 days if you stand the stem ends in a jug of water or wrap them in a damp paper towel and cover the bunch in plastic wrap.

Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Serves 3 to 4

You could also grill the asparagus on your barbeque, instead of roasting it in the oven.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Hold asparagus loosely near the end and snap off the tough end where it breaks naturally. Wash asparagus carefully in cold, running water, paying special attention to the head where sand and grit get trapped. Drain well and pat dry.

Pile the asparagus on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with  salt. Toss until evenly coated with oil. Spread the asparagus out in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure that stalks are not touching each other. Roast on the middle rack for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears, until asparagus is tender but still slightly firm. Asparagus will have acquired lovely little caramelized spots here and there. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

My Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus is lovely as a vegetable on your dinner plate but just as nice in a salad.

I once saw this idea on the pages of one of my beloved Gourmet magazines and have been smitten with it ever since. Olive to top my Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus with a soft poached egg, then squeeze on some fresh lemon juice, sprinkle on a few shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, some fleur du sel, and a cracking of freshly ground black pepper. The lemon and egg yolk mix together and make a bright, rich sauce that compliments the robust asparagus beautifully. Simple perfection. Guilt-free breakfast or lunch. One happy Olive.

www.andrewsscenicacres.com

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Mother Nature and I have been very busy this week. Farmers’ markets are opening up all over our region in anticipation of the bounty of fresh, local produce that is starting to arrive at the markets. Olive shopping at farmers’ markets. During the growing season, I try to buy only local Ontario produce. Farmers’ markets and farm markets are the best place to find it. And the produce is often picked fresh that morning by farmers who are happy to give you some cooking tips.  I’ve been working hard on posting a listing of local farmers’ markets on my Farmers’ Market Directory page. Check this page often for updates. I will be adding farm markets and roadside farm stands, as I discover them.

I don’t have much of a green thumb but I really want my son to experience the euphoria of eating a freshly picked, sun-ripened tomato, beets just pulled from the soil, and the sweetness of peas eaten within seconds of being snapped from their vine. My most vivid and pleasant food memories include the sweet freshness of the peas that I ate, as a child, straight from the vine in my grandparents’ next-door neighbor’s garden or the tomato that tasted like golden sun the moment after my friend picked it off her backyard tomato plant and popped it into my hand.

As when learning to cook, one needs to be courageous and determined to try new things when learning to garden. So I reclaimed a very wild, but very sunny, tiny patch at the side of my house and have crammed in herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, chives, parsley, and coriander), tomatoes, peas, beets, red leaf lettuce, and kale. I don’t know how much will thrive. And I don’t mind if the backyard bunny, resident raccoon, or the boyz in the hood raid it. I have already gotten so much joy out of tending and nurturing them and watching them grow (the boyz and the plants). Wish me luck and tell me what you have planted this year.

Speaking of courage and determination in the garden, I just had to share this link with you about two Hamilton kids, Oliver 8 and Piper 7, and their truly inspiring urban gardening initiative (Oliver’s Garden Project) that supports local youth charities in Hamilton and encourages kids to plant their own vegetable gardens to eat and share. After Oliver spotted some kids rummaging through curbside blue bins to get money for food, he and his family started a backyard garden fundraising effort to help. The project has quickly grown from there. Way to go Oliver and Piper (Mom and Dad too)! You may be little but you stand real tall in my view. “Plant it forward” everybody! Happy gardening!

GIANT VIDEO ALERT!! Have you ever wondered what Oliver and Piper think about Oliver’s Garden Project? Well, get… fb.me/14Qi7rlrO

— OliversGardenProject (@OliversGProject) April 9, 2013