THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: leeks, spinach, PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI OR RAAB, celeriac, and WATERCRESS

GARDENING SEASON IS UPON US!  We grow an extensive lineup of vegetable, herb and flower starts for sale at the Beaverton Farmers Market and for delivery to our subscribers along with their weekly veggie basket.  These can be ordered through our web site (PumpkinRidgeGardens.square.site).  Indicate at checkout if prefer delivery with your basket or will pick up at the Farmers Market (Polly will be there every Saturday starting April 4^th).  All our starter plants are grown with organic inputs and little to no supplemental heat.  This means they are robust, acclimated to local weather, and ready to thrive in your garden.  Please check the web site often as inventory is updated frequently.

Watercress is an amazing “superfood”.  Itwas named the healthiest vegetable by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a ranking of “powerhouse fruits and vegetables”.  The CDC gave watercress a nutrient-density score of 100 out of 100. (A nutrient-density score refers to the amount of nutrients that a food contains compared to its calorie content.) Watercress was the only vegetable or fruit to earn a perfect score.  You can read more in this Food and Wine article:  https://www.foodandwine.com/what-is-watercress-11700513.  It can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, cooked in soups or stir-fry (cooking mellows the peppery flavor), or as a tangy take on pesto served over pasta.  We like it in soup and use the recipe below which works well with just about any green (or mix of greens).

GREEN SOUP

2 cups chopped greens

1/2 onion or leek, chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced

3 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. dry sherry

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

salt & pepper to taste

½ cup cream

fresh nutmeg

In a large heavy bottomed pot, sauté onion in butter until translucent.  Add stock and potatoes and cover. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.  Pour a cup of the soup into a food processor or blender along with a handful of leaves and blend at high speed.  Repeat until all the soup and greens are blended.  The mixture should be a nice, fresh green.  Return the soup to the saucepan, add sherry, and reheat.  More stock can be added at this time if the soup is too thick.  Stir in cream, heat and correct seasoning.  Add several grinds of fresh nutmeg.   From The Winter Harvest Cookbook by Lane Morgan

When our spinach is producing well, as it is now, the recipe below is the first one I think of.

LAMB SAAG

4 lamb shanks

2-3 Lbs. spinach

1 onion, chopped

4 Tbs. ghee (or butter and oil mixed)

1 tsp. brown mustard seed

1/8 tsp. asafetida

1/8 tsp. cayenne

½ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. ground cumin

3 Tbs. water

3 Tbs. cream (or use sour cream or yogurt)

2 tsp. salt

Cover lamb shanks with water in a large pot.  Add 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil.  Simmer until the lamb is starting to loosen from the bone.  If you have time, put boiled lamb shanks onto the grill to brown.  Chop lamb and set aside.

Meanwhile, wash spinach and strip leaves off of stems.  Chop coarsely.  Combine cayenne, coriander, black pepper, nutmeg, turmeric and cumin in a small bowl, add water, and stir well.  Melt the butter and oil (or ghee) in a 5-quart pan over moderate heat.  Add mustard seed and cook until it starts to pop.  Add asafetida and let it sizzle, then add spice mixture and onion.  Fry for about 2 minutes. Add spinach to pan, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt.  Cover and reduce heat.  Stir occasionally until spinach is all bright green and very wilted.  Add water if necessary.  At this point, the saag can be removed from heat and can sit if necessary.  Before serving, put spinach in a food processor and puree.  Return it to the pan, add chopped lamb, stir in cream and reheat briefly.  Adapted from The Best of Lord Krishna’s Cuisine by Yamuna Devi.