Market Treasures and Garden Update

Oh, how I love spring. The bursting, vibrant energy that makes my blood sing, the warm touch of sunshine... these are days that remind me over and over how very fortunate I am to be alive and healthy. I am a lucky girl. Spring in California is a bit of a strange bird, in that it is never really severe enough winter to get the full effect of the bone-deep relief that comes with the first warm days. Winters here are damp and chill above all else, but the rains of winter make everything lusciously green for a couple months until the sun and lack of rain browns it all up again. We're having a bit of an unusual spring here, the winter storms which normally cease and desist in early April are continuing their onslaught right through to the end of the month. Today is a blustery and rainy day, but I'm trying not to mind because the garden really does love all the extra moisture it can get.

Things are taking off in the garden right now. We have the tomatoes (sungold, cherokee chocolate, hillbilly, black cherry, yellow pear cherry, san marzano paste, marvel striped, green zebra, paul robeson) in the ground and already sending up new leaves. The beans (dragon's tongue, royalty purple pod, tiger's eye) that are surviving nightly raids by slugs and snails are unfolding shiny second leaves. Zucchinis (raven, ronde de nice) seem to be doing much better than last year, and are already expanding magnificently. The lettuce seedlings (parris island cos, flashy trout's back, merlot) are as lovely as a party dress. And in my new bed, the carrot, beet (chioggia), lettuce (red and green oak leaf) and radish (french breakfast) seedlings are on their way quite nicely. Corn (triple play from last year's harvest), winter squash (potimarron, Pennsylvania Dutch crookneck), chard (bright lights) and basil are all up, but struggling a bit. After all, winter hasn't quite given up on us yet.

With all this bounty just around the corner, I'm still going to the farmer's market every week to stock up on veg (other than arugula and lettuce). As my own garden progresses, I'll keep going for our staples of locally grown sheep cheese and lamb sausage, dates, and when the season starts, stone fruits, but I will be subsisting mostly off of what we grow in the back yard. This Saturday's market was particularly exciting and I got some treasures that made me as giddy as if I had found a pair of designer shoes at Ross for ten bucks. Hey, sometimes it happens. My bounty consists of an ugly/cute celeriac, the first fava beans, broccoli, sorrel, crimini mushrooms, sheep feta, green curly kale, beets, a basket of perfectly ripe strawberries and the crowning glory, purple asparagus. Yup, it comes in purple. The stalks are smooth, almost velvety looking and dark violet colored. They cook up crunchy and sweet and take on a dark green tint, but some of the purple stays with a light and quick steaming.

To celebrate such treasures, I had to make something special. Like a quiche. But with a crust this time. I cannot tell you how terrified I have been for years by crust making. Until recently, we did not own a food processor and so making a crust would find me trying to blend cold butter and flour with two butter knives battling for dominance, swearing like a sailor and ending up with an overworked, leaden mess of wanna-be pastry. But no longer! Thank god for food processors. My Kitchen Aid is now my new hero.

With the quiche done, I set myself to a Deborah Madison recipe that sounded intreguing but potentially icky. Braised broccoli with olives requires a long cooked broccoli that is falling apart tender, and could be a bit too close to the overcooked limpness I've accidentally made in the past. I should know better by now than to doubt that woman. It came out brilliantly, with the broccoli well flavored with tangy olives, oregano and lemon. I've been spooning it onto toast with a sprinkling of sheep feta for lunch, which is a wonderful way to eat more veg.

Lastly, a strawberry dessert. I tried for puff pastry tartlets with pastry cream and sliced strawberries. This was a bit less successful, so I'm reserving the recipe until I can get it better.

To finish things off, a tea of nettles, oatstraw, raspberry leaf, lavender, rose and garden peppermint. These are some of the best herbs to keep the nervous system relaxed and the hormones balanced, which is important during these times of finals.

And that's pretty much it. Except for Mr. Seasonality's foray into ale making, which is very exciting. He took a recipe by Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall for Nettle beer and added a wee bit of lemon balm. It should be ready tomorrowish, so I'll let you all know how it tastes. I'm very excited.

Greens, Potato and Artichoke Quiche

1 recipe for pie crust (I use this one from Smitten Kitchen), par-baked

Arrange on the bottom of the crust:

2 medium waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold, boiled till lightly tender and sliced

Scatter over the potatoes:

1/4 cup crumbled or shredded cheese (I used sheep feta, which is amazing)

Sweat in a wide pan until transluscent with a wee bit of olive oil:

1 medium onion, chopped

Add:

1/2 bunch sorrel, chopped

1/2 bunch chard, chopped

Handful of nettles, cooked and chopped (optional)

1 sprig of oregano or marjoram or thyme, finely chopped

And cook until the greens are wilted and greatly reduced in volume. Arrange the greens over the potatoes and feta.

Over the greens, place:

6 artichoke hearts, halved

While the greens are cooking make the custard of:

4 eggs, beaten

Whisk in:

3/4 cup whole milk (preferably raw)

Pinch of salt and pepper

Pour the custard over everything and bake at 375 for about an hour, or until the top is golden and there is no liquidy center.

Braised Broccoli with Olives

Adapted from Local Flavors, by Deborah Madison

Bring about 8 cups salted water to a boil in a large pot.

Add:

3 heads of broccoli, cut into florets

stalks of broccoli, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks

Cook for 10 minutes, then remove promptly to a colander, reserving:

1 cup cooking liquid.

Chop the broccoli up into wee bits and set aside.

In a large pan, heat a wee bit of olive oil

Add and sweat till transluscent:

1 large shallot, sliced (or an onion)

4 cloves of garlic

Add:

1/4 cup chopped green olives

1-2 tblsp chopped oregano

finely grated zest of 1 Meyer lemon

Cook together until fragrent, about 1 minute.

Add in:

the broccoli

reserved cooking liquid

Cook on medium-low heat for about 15-20 minutes, or until the broccoli is super tender and falling apart.

I heart Brassicae

I would now like to expound on my current love affair with the Brassicae family of vegetables. Many (including Mr. Seasonality) loathe these fair tasties, through no fault of their own. These are not the easiest of the vegetable kingdom to love. Not like, say, a vine ripened Purple Cherokee tomato, or even Rosa Bianca eggplant which are seductively showy with their shiny come-hither skin and fruity, juicy tastes that explode summeriness into your eager mouth. No, Brassicae take some effort to love. But, as a recent convert, I can say with utter surity that it is well worth the effort.

The Brassicae family is also known as the cabbage or Cruciferae family, but are actually all related to mustards. They are so named because their leaves on the flowering stem form a cross- crus. This family includes broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, turnips, rutebegas, kohlrabi and probably others that I've never tasted. Ok, I haven't tried kohlrabi yet, but I will. When I get the guts to taste something that looks like a baseball wrapped in a dirty sock. But I used to hate Brussels sprouts with a passion usually reserved for one's nemesis(es) and now they have become my favorite veggie. What happened? Bacon happened. I am now not only convinced of the magic powers of bacon to transform anything into savory deliciousness, but my eyes have been opened to the joys of cabbages.

Cruciferae are some of the most healthy veggies one could ask for on a plate. They have significant quantities of vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, calcium, vitamin A (especially kale, which boasts a whopping 5963 IU per cup!). And the all important substance- fiber. More about that another time. The really neat thing about these veggies is that they are being studied for their anti-cancer qualities. The phytochemicals that turn them pretty colors are also the ones that make them anti-oxidants, which means they chase the big bad free-radicals out of your body. These guys may also help the body metabolize estrogens, which may help to prevent breast cancer. No proof yet though, so for now I'm eating 'em 'cause I likes 'em.

Note that if you have thyroid issues, you may want to limit your intake of cruciferous veggies as they have an enzyme which inhibits iodine from binding to thyroid hormone. From what I've read this only happens at high intake and if not cooked well (they say under 30 minutes). Because these veggies do have a nice vitamin K content, if you have clotting factor problems or are on coumadin, these guys are off limits for you, sorry.

You don't need bacon to unlock the delights of the cruciferous veggies (though it really only makes things that much better), just something to balance their strong, bold, often sulfuric flavor. Here are my suggestions that have become standbys for me in recent weeks. I will add recipes as I can. If you have one that you would really, really like to try now, let me know and I'll post the recipe as soon as I can.

Savoy cabbage braised with leeks and fennel and tossed in Meyer lemon tarragon butter

Sweet and sour red cabbage with lentils

Cauliflower curry soup with red lentils

Cauliflower and brussels sprouts with lemony mustard caper sauce

Brussels sprouts browned in butter with orange honey glaze

Brussels sprouts browned in butter with gorgonzola

or with bacon and a squeeze of lemon (the dish that turned me)

Braised kale with white beans and pasta (gluten-free in my case)