farmersmarket365

In this area of the world, Farmer’s markets in April are  brown and shelves limited to the root vegetables we have just about had enough of.  Occasionally there is a hydroponic grower who will have greens and maybe some kale, but that’s just about it.  Just when one is about to give up on the market and return to the “gasp” grocery store,  May arrives and shelves begin to green up with the “Leafy greens- spring times tonic”.  It is no wonder that the birthstone of May is the Emerald; its deep green color representing rebirth, love and patience. And boy are we ready.

The first to arrive here in Rhode Island are often grown in high tunnels (green houses without the added heat) that extend the growing season but also allow for the start of spring veggies in the fall.  The really early spinach and lettuce mix were most likely seeded in the fall, allowed to germinate and grow just a bit, before being covered for the winter’s nap. This is followed by the greens seeded as the earth warms along with salad turnips and radishes.  Garlic, also planted last fall comes up and some if harvested as green garlic- a good start to what is to come.  Spring onions, pea shoots and spinach are also soon to follow.

Here are some thoughts about what you might find.

• Leafy green salad mix: These are some of the most tender and sweetest of the lettuces.  The seed packet is really just a combination of many different greens, planted together and then harvested when they are about 4 inches.  To harvest ,the greens are cut and roots are left in to grow again.  If you wonder why they are more expensive than a head of lettuce it is due to the labor to not only cut but also to wash and package; being such tender greens care needs to be taken so they don’t bruise.
• Spinach: One of my favorites there are a number of different varieties- I like them all.  Again another labor intensive crop in that leaves are picked by hand and the roots left to grow more.  You can always find spinach in my basket at this time of year, sometimes 4 or 5 bags of it.  Some we eat the rest finds its way into blanching water, drained and then frozen.  I try to freeze it in different size containers as sometimes I just need a bit for my omelet, other times I need more for creamed spinach. When freezing spinach know that it cooks down.  I bought 2.5 lbs and got three pints bags.

Enjoy these crops in the early spring, as the temperatures rise the plants will turn bitter, I am always skeptical of spinach in July and August.  The reason for the change? Well the plant doesn’t mind sharing its leaves (the energy producers) with us for awhile but when it comes time for them to reproduce (start flowering) it needs that energy.  By turning bitter, we don’t want to eat it and so the plant can do it’s thing.

• Asparagus is precious as it is around for just about a month and will be snapped up quickly by shoppers. I try to have it sourced from a few farmers just in case.  Despite what some people believe the larger spears are not tougher they usually represent the first of the pick, as the plant loses its energy it produces the pencil thin spears and is really telling us to leave it alone.
  • When fixing asparagus you need to remove the tougher bottom end. I usually just hold the spear in my hands, bend the spear and it will break -BUT DON’T throw out the tougher part.  You can cut it into small pieces and use for soups or longer cooking foods.  If the spear is think enough you can also peel off some of the outer layer and then add to salads.
  • Asparagus can be found in my freezer as pesto, small pieces for soups and other uses; my pantry shelf will always have a few jars of pickled asparagus.
  • I use the blanching water to make up some first of the season asparagus soup.

There is a new energy around this time of year- Bring it on.