starting early
Colander season has started early this year. We went from being very scroogy with picking greens, to having a couple of meals a week being spinach-based, to yesterday, when I realized we were seriously going to have to plan our meals around the hoop this week. El's right, a hoop house does extend the number of times the garden reaches points of excess, even when you are growing on a smaller scale. Last year, it was mid-April when we were eating spinach non-stop. *
- stuffed pizza (well yes, that's nothing new, but adaptable to the seasons!) with spinach and leek, plus homemade sausage from a class I took this winter. And a salad on the side.
- indian food: not sure the exact menu, but indian cooking is a great way to use up both misc. veggies in your freezer, and greens. I'm thinking saag or fritters with spinach, and a vegetable korma with eggplant, broccoli, and green beans. I might try making paneer for the first time.
- green enchiladas: cheese enchiladas with a spicy spinach-based sauce, an epi recipe
- midwestern meze: this one we do a fair amount--basically a fun night of lots of side dishes and breads and snacks. But, the mix changes with the seasons. This weekend will probably be roasted potato/kale salad, lots of veggie pickles, a bean dish (hummus, or a bean salad), and maybe a soup.
- eggplant parmesan: a quick weeknight dinner with frozen breaded eggplant and last summer's tomato sauce. No greens here but we'll probably have a salad on the side.
* of course, this year is a little strange, considering we hit 80 degrees yesterday--that's 15 degrees higher than the last record high for the date, and the earliest we've hit 80 in history. EVER. Beautiful, but a little scary.
Cookbooks? Recipes? huh? No time to consult them, I swear.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that Soup Season is officially over now. This is a bit of a drag, as probably 1-2 dinners a week here are soup! But I'm like you in that I just put MORE of whatever's at hand into the pot. Last night it was more cabbage than potatoes in the potato/leek soup.
Even though things are crazy-abundant now, I really enjoy Kale Flowering Season, don't you? It's a bit of a gift. And all those carrots are growing roots so I might do a huge batch of fajitas on the grill. And oh goodness I still have about 6 big butternuts in storage yet...
But tomorrow's a slow-cooked then smoked brisket because I abhor even home-made corned beef...and we've got champ (mashed potatoes/green onions) to accompany it, as well as a couple of beers made (not by me) with my own hops. And, hah, salad!
I've become obsessed with the combination of greens and breakfast foods, whether it's a frittata or bacon sandwich.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, I admit that I do tend to want to make a certain dish over and over when the produce is in the garden. I'm very ready for last year's favorites.
I just ordered the remainder of all my seeds. The grow lights go up in my office this weekend. I'm getting excited.
The spinach enchiladas sound very interesting.... I am now about ready to have my spinach patch explode. Yay!
ReplyDeleteTrying out a new comment option here, since I can't even leave one myself depending on what computer I'm on...
ReplyDeleteEL: We bottled our first batch of been on st. patrick's day. Not our own hops, started with a kit to get the hang of it.
Jodi: Glad I'm not alone, I do like the egg/greens combo too.
Ali: the enchilada sauce is pretty darn good. I simplified the recipe a little when I made it again this time, so I don't follow it exactly, but I'm sure you'd get the idea if you tried it.