Friday, March 28, 2008
Spring has sprung.
Now is the time to start sowing seeds for a summer produce garden.
We are still a long way from the frost free date, -generally around Mothers Day here, - but there are many seeds that can be sown now. I do not grow too many vegetables as I don’t have the room or time and anyway, I like to shop at the farmers markets. I do like to grow my own salads and herbs though and this weekend I will be tilling the soil and sowing.
The annual seeds that I consider essential are parsley, cilantro and chervil and these compliment my perennial herbs, chives, mint, thyme, sorrel and tarragon. All of these can be pot grown if you don’t have garden space but I use the herbs so much I like to have more than a pot will provide.
The least well know on the annuals, chervil has a delicate anise flavor and is a great addition to any fish dishes. Cilantro can be used with abandon in all manner of Mexican flavored concoctions and parsley is good with almost everything. It has a reputation as a garnish but is actually worthwhile using more of, it has a high iron content so is useful to supplement a vegetarian diet. Here is a recipe for parsley lovers.
Parsley Soup -serves 4
4 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white parts cleaned and sliced small
2 large bunches flat leaf parsley, stalks and leaves separated and stalks chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
2 ½ cups low sodium chicken stock
½ cup cream
Salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the leeks and parsley stalks on a low heat for about half an hour. Add the potato and the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the leaves of the parsley to the soup and simmer for a couple of minutes more before blitzing the mixture in a blender. Don’t cook for too long after the leaves have been added as the bright green color will be lost.
Return the soup to the pan, add the cream and season to taste.
We are still a long way from the frost free date, -generally around Mothers Day here, - but there are many seeds that can be sown now. I do not grow too many vegetables as I don’t have the room or time and anyway, I like to shop at the farmers markets. I do like to grow my own salads and herbs though and this weekend I will be tilling the soil and sowing.
The annual seeds that I consider essential are parsley, cilantro and chervil and these compliment my perennial herbs, chives, mint, thyme, sorrel and tarragon. All of these can be pot grown if you don’t have garden space but I use the herbs so much I like to have more than a pot will provide.
The least well know on the annuals, chervil has a delicate anise flavor and is a great addition to any fish dishes. Cilantro can be used with abandon in all manner of Mexican flavored concoctions and parsley is good with almost everything. It has a reputation as a garnish but is actually worthwhile using more of, it has a high iron content so is useful to supplement a vegetarian diet. Here is a recipe for parsley lovers.
Parsley Soup -serves 4
4 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white parts cleaned and sliced small
2 large bunches flat leaf parsley, stalks and leaves separated and stalks chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
2 ½ cups low sodium chicken stock
½ cup cream
Salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the leeks and parsley stalks on a low heat for about half an hour. Add the potato and the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the leaves of the parsley to the soup and simmer for a couple of minutes more before blitzing the mixture in a blender. Don’t cook for too long after the leaves have been added as the bright green color will be lost.
Return the soup to the pan, add the cream and season to taste.
