BRATTLEBORO — Each year, I am startled by seeds that sprout and perennials that really do come up again. Somehow, spring always takes me by surprise, as if the long snowy winter had wiped out my memory of the songs of birds.
But gradually, I become accustomed to the color green and the distinct possibility that both my garden and myself have survived another year.
May is filled with a breathtaking promise of what is to come, but it has its own short and brilliant season as well. There are vegetables and greens that exist only in the early spring, so you'd better get them quick!
I set off last Saturday in search of some and here's what I found.
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May is the season for local asparagus, so I stopped by Lilac Ridge Farm and scooped up a pound of crisp, sturdy spears that were picked that morning.
Forget about steaming them. Try them raw, shaved with a strong vegetable peeler from stem to tip into long paper thin ribbons and made into a salad with toasted hazelnuts, a few shards of parmesan cheese, and a lemony vinaigrette.
At the Farmer's Market, I found big puffy bags of fresh pea shoots from Gorilla Grown Produce. These are the little tendrils and leaves of young pea pod plants, and are about the most tender and lovely green edible you can imagine.
Their flavor is remarkably like peas themselves, yet with a crisp and distinctive texture. They can be eaten raw in salads or just barely sautéed in a very hot pan, then dressed with a touch of soy sauce and grated fresh ginger. Or, crisp up some pancetta, shallots, and garlic, then add a big handful of pea shoots, stir briefly over high heat until wilted, and serve with your favorite pasta, a generous splash of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon. Add salt, freshly ground pepper, and some Ricotta Salata cheese.
Crunchy pork, soft shallot, green crisp pea shoots a little browned, the cool and milky cheese - a fantastic combination of texture and flavor only possible in May.
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Ramps were available in profusion at the market with some lovely specimens from Hawk's Flight Farm. Ramps are wild leeks that have broad, flat green leaves and a scallion-like bulb with a powerful smell and a pungent flavor.
Both leaves and bulb are edible and delicious. Their flavor, when cooked, is a lot like a wild version of a leek - more powerful, slightly peppery, and tasting faintly of the earth. Raw, they are very strong, although I have seen some folks chomp away on them like they were celery stalks.
When used with other ingredients such as cream and butter, their unique bite is mellowed.
Pickled ramps have become a staple on many spring menus, and recipes abound. The sweet and sour acidity of the pickling process also mellows their bite, and treated in this manner, they are a terrific accompaniment to pâté and roasted meats.
I think the distinctive character of ramps works best when paired with other ingredients.
In this recipe for four, the sweetness of butter, the smokiness of the trout, and the crispiness of pan- fried potatoes works to transform that ramp bite into lush comfort food.
Parboil four russet potatoes until a knife will just pierce their center. Cool and peel. Grate into a medium bowl using the largest holes of a standing grater.
Add two beaten eggs and mix with a fork until combined. Add a smoked trout filet, broken into smallish pieces, and one cup of chopped ramps that you have sautéed in two tablespoons of butter until soft.
Mix gently, form this mixture into pancakes, and then coat with panko. Fry them in vegetable oil until crisp and golden. Serve hot with crème fraîche or sour cream. These are fabulous and easy. I encourage you to try them.
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Spring brings a profusion of green garlic, and Lost Barn Farm had bundles of it. Its availability is usually the result of thinning, and it looks a lot like a scallion.
Green garlic is merely a very young garlic plant picked before a real bulb is formed. It is much sweeter and milder than bulb garlic, and the entire plant can be used. Its flavor is like garlic but fresher and more mellow.
Garlic scapes are different. They are the stems of hard-neck garlic: curlicue wonders that I want to leave in a vase instead of in the kitchen. Their texture is more sturdy than green garlic, but the flavor is softer, and when picked young, as in May, they are a delightful addition to spring cuisine.
What to do with each of them? I love green garlic in soup and garlic scapes in pesto.
To make this adolescent version of Richard Olney's famous French garlic soup, just sauté two dozen chopped stalks of green garlic in half a stick of butter and a splash of water until soft. Add six small potatoes, a half cup of water, and 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, and cook at a simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Add a half cup of heavy cream, and purée with an immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves four.
To make garlic scape pesto, coarsely chop a dozen scapes and blend them in a food processor with a half cup of toasted almonds (or whatever nut you have handy), the same amount of grated Parmesan, and the same amount of olive oil.
That's it.
Taste for salt and pepper, and use immediately on pasta or as a topping for crostini. The pesto is bright and clean but with a healthy suggestion of that garlic punch.
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Fiddleheads were everywhere at the Farmers' Market. They are the unfurled fronds of the ostrich fern, and they rise out of the ground in tightly wound green spirals that eventually unwind to stand up straight and tall as mature plants.
I don't like fiddleheads myself, and there are also safety issues involved that I don't really understand. Some believe that they must be boiled for 15 minutes, which in my opinion would render almost anything inedible, in order to destroy an “unidentified natural toxin.” I leave the question of their consumption and how to cook them up to you.
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There is no question about my enthusiasm for over-wintered vegetables like leeks, knobby Jerusalem artichokes, and sweet firm parsnips. Young leeks are one of the queens of spring cuisine. I love leeks at all times of the year, but spring leeks are very special, and there were lots of them at the market.
Planted in late summer, they have a huge head start in the spring and are usually ready to harvest in May, months before they have reached maturity. Thin and tender, yet still crisp, they are divine.
I turn them into one of my very favorite vegetable dishes.F or 4 servings, take 24 small spring leeks, cleaned and trimmed, and simmer in water until just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, depending on their size. You want them tender but not mushy. Drain and let them cool. Whisk together 5 tablespoons of hot Dijon mustard, the juice of half a lemon, and a splash of great vinegar. Slowly add ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, whisking constantly, until the mixture emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the leeks with the vinaigrette, and refrigerate overnight. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the dressing.
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I found Jerusalem artichokes at the Circle Mountain Farm booth. These are the tubers of a species of sunflower, Helianthus tuberosus, a member of the daisy family. They have nothing to do with Jerusalem or artichokes, and look a bit like ginger root or a small knobby potato.
They are fantastic when roasted and pair beautifully with green garlic, olive oil, and sage. Take a heavy pound of them and cut into chunks - no need to peel them.
Sauté them in a heavy pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until they are golden. Add a handful of fresh or dried bay leaves and a few chopped stalks of green garlic, a quarter cup of white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the cover and the bay leaves, and cook for a few minutes over higher heat, until the liquid is evaporated and the Jerusalem artichokes are crispy and golden. They make a tasty side for fish, chicken, or red meat.
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Fertile Fields Farm had over-wintered parsnips, whose flavor makes one almost forget about all the snow that covered them up for months. This cold hibernation transforms them into something milder, sweeter, and very satisfying to our desire for the taste of spring.
I love to roast them in the oven and serve them as a salad with young spring greens like the ones I found from Old Athens Farm.
I added some toasted pine nuts and a brisk cilantro dressing.
For 4 servings, cut 6 parsnips into batons, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in a pre-heated oven, at 425 degrees, for 30 to 40 minutes, until tender and caramelized.
Reduce the oven to 350 degrees, and toast a handful of pine nuts until just golden, being careful that they do not burn.
Make a vinaigrette by puréeing a half cup of cilantro, a half cup of extra-virgin olive oil, a half cup of lime and orange juice mixed, salt, and pepper to taste.
Arrange a few handfuls of spring greens on four plates, then top with the parsnips, the vinaigrette, and the pine nuts. The acidity of the dressing and the crunch of the pine nuts offset the sweet, almost burnt-sugar taste of the parsnips.
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So there you have it. Spring in the kitchen, courtesy of our hard working farmers in the region.
These are time-sensitive vegetables whose season may be gone even as you read this. But isn't that the beauty of living in Vermont? May is so short and its loveliness so intense that it couldn't possibly last longer than 31 days. Its garden offerings are as delectable and fleeting as the month itself, and I intend to delight in every one of them.