Early spring produce update
/Hello my loves,
Some ancient European cultures called this time of year ‘winter-spring’, and it’s easy to see why. Some days are golden dreams of warmth and blossom, and others remind us that the cooler weather isn’t quite done yet. This week they’ve swung back and forth like a pendulum, blousy and golden one day, bright and brittle the next. Produce-wise, it’s a bit of a funny time. The winter crops are finishing up as the weather warms, and there are seedlings and blossoms everywhere, but in terms of the actual harvest, this time of year can often feel a bit bare. Luckily there are a few brave harvest heroes who keep us nourished in the very early weeks of spring, and today we’re investigating four of them.
Eggs and dairy
Whilst we have eggs and dairy on tap these days, they are actually seasonal. Chickens slow down their laying over the colder months, and milk production also slows over winter. Before commercial farming was introduced, eggs and dairy would be in much shorter supply over winter, with the milk starting to flow and the eggs starting to pop again as the onset of spring approached. I know at least one dairy who don’t milk at all for two months over winter, to give their gorgeous girls a well-earned break in their last months of pregnancy, but with little baby lambs, calves and kids popping out all over the show, the milk is now back on! I like to give a nod to the somewhat-lost spring return of eggs and dairy by cooking a lot with them at this time of year. Custards, creamy chicken pies and scrambles are all singing to me right now, and this weekend holds some lofty cheesecake plans.
The last of the lemons
Citrus shines through autumn and winter, with the season wrapping up in late spring, which means there’s a just few more weeks to enjoy some lip-smacking lemon love. The poor old lemon has become as ubiquitous as the tomato on our supermarket shelves, a fixture all year round, but in reality they’re not readily available locally over summer and early autumn. Essentially, once stone fruit starts coming in, lemons are usually done, and don't make their appearance again until the last plums slip away in late autumn. So if you’re a lemon lover, take heed! Now is the time to get your fix.
Green garlic
While you won’t find it on supermarket shelves, it’s worth cruising your farmers’ market to see if anyone is offering green garlic – garlic that’s picked young, while the tops are still green and edible, and the skins that will later turn papery have a much softer texture. They look a bit like bunches of spring onions with garlic bulbs on the end, and you can eat the whole thing, stalk, bulb and all. And eat them you should, they are so delicious, featuring all the beguiling flavours of regular garlic, but in a milder and more fragrant way. They really are quite special. You can use green garlic in place of regular garlic, or really make the most of it by trying my gnocchi with green garlic cream sauce.
Lettuce and greens
One thing you can always rely on at this time of year is greens. Lettuce, silverbeet, kale, sorrel and warrigal greens all thrive through winter and early spring, making this, very ironically, the perfect time for a salad. Anyone who’s ever worked in my kitchen will be crying with laughter right about now, as I’m well known for my disdain of salads. I’ve quite simply never seen the point of them (the perfect time for a salad is never 😂), but a few weeks ago I felt a strange calling towards some crisp baby cos that coyly beckoned me at my farmers' market. I succumbed to its charms, finely slicing it and mixing it with fennel fronds and chopped peas in their pods, then bathing it all in a delightfully zesty mustard vinaigrette. I was quite taken aback by how much I enjoyed it.
Because I love you, I want you to have the recipe for my mustard vinaigrette. It’s the easiest thing in the world to throw together, and it really did go perfectly with the crisp crunch of the greens, providing a bright and buzzy note on a cool and crunchy day. I suspect it would also be excellent poured over some still-hot boiled potatoes and given a few minutes to sink in before devouring. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and I also hope you enjoy your weekend as much as I plan to enjoy mine. Until next week my loves 💛.
Mustard vinaigrette
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons of good quality white wine, apple cider or chardonnay vinegar (I like this one)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 pinches of salt
A few grinds of pepper
Put all the ingredients in a jar, and screw the lid on tightly. Shake the jar like a mad thing until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
Love, Rachel xxx
