Seasonal Recipes

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In season this month: May '11

Everything about growing your own fruit and veg is wonderful accept, possibly, the waiting! That said, when the first Asparagus 'pops' up, its a delightful, well earned moment to nurture and enjoy. Whilst the veggie patch is doing incredibly well (due to the delightful warm weather we've had through May) only well organised, experienced gardener's will be enjoying the delights of more than rhubarb, radish, salad leaves, asparagus and a few spring onions. Elsewhere in season, you can now buy this seasons New Potatoes, broad beans and early carrots.

In Season this month: April '11

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In Season this month: March

Its early spring: the time when we start thinking about growing new spring vegetables. Time to use up cold store supplies (if you’ve not already nearly run out like us!). This month, we’ll be cooking a mixture of soups, stews and warm salad’s using up the last of our winter stock. Slowly introducing new ingredients such as purple sprouting broccoli and rhubarb. We’ve not grown sprouting broccoli but this month there will be plenty about. We haven’t forced our Rhubarb (so we are still waiting patiently) but there’s plenty around in farm shops, markets and in supermarkets.

To us, the lengthening days signal more time! More leisure time, more time to squeeze in extra jobs resulting in the need for quicker, lighter suppers.

Check out this Smoked Fish Chowder that uses up your winter leeks. Added with smoked, bacon, fish and milk to create a lovely filling week day meal.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli is so versatile and goes well run through pasta, tasty as a seasoned side dish or turned into a quiche. Check out these links for many great ideas.

In season this month: January

Our home grown veg patch is fairly quiet over winter. We've a limited supply of the normal winter veg; leeks, winter cabbage and a few ropey brussel sprouts. We grow our own because nothing compares to the taste and satisfaction of growing fruit and fruit yourself. If we save some pennies along the way, it's is a bonus.

This month we're loving winter leeks, which are deliciously sweet. They add bags of flavour to stews, risotto's, soups and we've even added leeks to a classic Quiche Lorraine recipe. The sweet leeks always taste great with bacon, and this is no exception.

This month, we're celebrating another fruit that we've not grown ourselves. It's distinctive to this time of year: the Seville orange. When we were growing up, my mum and dad run a traditional green grocers in a small Lincolnshire village. We would look forward to certain in-season favourites such as chestnuts, peas, Clemintine's and the Seville Orange with great anticipation.

Seville oranges are available in the UK now. Make the most of their distinctive strong flavour as they will only be available to the end of February. Seville oranges have enhanced our breakfast marmalade for generations, but we've never made it ourselves till now! It's dead simple to do and only needs 3 key ingredients: Seville oranges, lemon and sugar.

We followed Delia's Traditional Seville Orange Marmalade recipe. Simply click here to view.

There are some lovely specialist shop-bought marmalades available if you don't have the time but it's not the same and you'll get much more for your money making it yourself. Top tip: make enough to keep you supplied throughout the year. We've put ours in these lovely Burgon & Ball 'Marvellous Marmalade Jars'.

We've discovered other recipes using your marvellous marmalade including warm sweet onion tart , marmalade apple tart and duck casserole.

 

 

July & August

At their best: artichoke, beetroot, beans, peas, carrots, courgettes, garlic, shallots, lettuces, mange tout, new potatoes, radish, rocket, spring onions and watercress.  

Our favouties include beans and summer courgette. Both are very versitile.

Young beans are wonderful when simply boiled and buttered.

If you have any older broad beans from July, freeze them. Alternatively make them into a great dip to accompany a summer BBQ. These crushed broad bean and mint bruschetta's also make a great starter or light summer snack.

Synonymous with summer, homegrown, hand-picked strawberries cannot be beaten by imported varieties! In our opinion, strawberries are best eaten freshly picked - perhaps with a little dressing to bring out the taste. Why not try Jamie Oliver's suggestion of balsamic vingear? 

 

May

In our humble opinion, asparagus needs little embellishment. Serve it simply with dippy eggs or with some freshly prepared hollanaise sauce. After you've eaten your fill of delicious, tender asparagus, let your plants settle down for a good long rest.

Our home-grown radishes are usually red and crisp; adding punchy colour and peppery taste to salad dishes. Enjoy eating radish raw or simply with home made mayonnaise.  Alternatively, try marinated in vinaigrette.  

Actually a vegetable, Rhubarb is a real favourite of ours. Many will remember picking it in the garden, dipping it in sugar, and then eating it raw! Due it its sharp taste, rhubarb works extremely well with meat and oily fish dishes such as pork and mackerel. Rhubarb is so versatile and can be poached, roasted, fried, stir-fried, stewed and even marinated. However most (including us!) enjoy rhubarb in a delicious comforting pudding. (Providing it has been sweetened with plenty of sugar, of course!).

Rhubarb historically goes well with custard, ginger, made into jam and also tastes good served as fruit with breakfast.

If you are growing your own rhubarb and have a glut, why not try turning it into chutney, place in attractive jars and give to friends and family?

Here are some other recipes we’ve tried and enjoyed.

• Rhubarb upside down cake
• Rhubarb muffins
• Rhubarb tarte tatin
• Rhubarb Juice

 

Freshly New Potato Salad

Ingredients

• Enough new potatoes for four
• Handful of chives, chopped
• Rind from one lemon
• Tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• Tablespoon of olive oil
• Radish, washed or wiped, top and tailed
• Season to taste

Method

Simply boil new seasons new potatoes as normal for about 15 – 20 mins. Drain and allow cooling in a serving bowl. Mix the white wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon rind and chives. Season well and add to potatoes. Run through sliced peppery radish and serve immediately. 

 

 

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February

Kale is one of the few green vegetables that are full of flavour at this time of year. Easy to grow and easy to prepare, we think Kale deserves a little more attension in the veg garden. A member of the same family as the cabbage (Brassica), Kale can be easily substituted for spinach or cabbage in recipes. Kale tastes great when steamed, stir-fried, or sautéed. We love this simple, tasty recipe: ideal for lunch or brunch! So what you waiting for?

Kale, Chorizo and Poached Egg

 Ingredients

• Knob of butter
• 2 large bunches of Kale, washed well, tough stalks removed, shredded
• Clove of garlic, sliced
• Handful of sliced chorizo sausage
• Free range egg
• Black pepper

Method

Simply start to saute the kale in a little butter, add the garlic and sliced chorizo sauage. Kale requires a longer cooking time than cabbage or spinach, so saute gently for several minutes (adding a tablespoon of water  if required) until tender. Add black pepper to taste. Meanwhile, poach the egg. Create a bed of kale and chorizo, and place your poach egg on top. Season to taste and tuck in! Delicious.