One of my favourite things to do, after a long, busy day, is to wander thru my garden picking "dinner". I have learned to use whatever is in season, or whatever will grow in my garden.
Following are some photos of what we have at the moment.
From top to bottom we have:
RAPE - (isn't it time someone gave this versatile green a new name!?) cut up small, but not the stem!
BEET - I use both the beet and the leaves; beet cut into matchsticks, leaves into strips
SPINACH - mix of various types; cut or tear into smaller pieces
NASTURTIUM LEAVES & FLOWERS - lovely slightly peppery taste, and the flowers are beautiful and edible!
PEAS - the larger ones I open and pop them in raw; if they're still small, I just put them in whole (mange touts)
RADISH - slice them up thinly; haven't yet been adventurous enough to use the leaves, although I hear they are edible too
ROCKET/ARUGULA - tear into bite sizes
DANDELION LEAVES - only the young ones are tender
TOMATOES - did you know that green tomatoes have the same nutritional value as ripe ones? I like to add green ones for added crunch. They give the texture and look of cucumber, which is late coming up this year
ONION GREENS - snip them in with a scissors
DILL - tear into salad
BUTTERNUT FLOWERS - delicious when sliced into fine ribbons and added as edible decoration
HERBS - parsley, mint, salt bush, spekboom, alfalfa flowers
Remember to wash any produce well. I soak mine for about 10 minutes in salt water or vinegar water, then give it a quick rinse and dry.
And here is the completed dish! I added some feta, and a handful of raisins, for some sweetness. If I have carrots growing I would grate one in too. A peeled and chopped apple also gives added sweetness and crunch.
Topped with your favourite dressing, you have a delicious meal or accompaniment.
NEXT WEEK - easy mayonnaise, in 2 minutes - with photos!
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