Spring foods

While attending a permaculture design course in Central Victoria last year (October 2009) I learnt an interesting fact about seasonal eating in Spring. David Holmgren lives on a one hectare property in Hepburn Springs and  produces virtually all of the fruit or vegetables necessary to feed himself, his family and a few Woofers. David showed us some vegetable beds being prepared for Spring planting. It was then early October (in a similar climate to Canberra) and there was not very must growing at the time. David explained that Spring was the common time of famine in traditional societies. It was usually the time when the Winter stores of preserved foods were running out and yet new crops of Spring were yet producing. I found this fascinating and it made me think how our choices would change if we were to eat strictly seasonal and local.

While we are now past early October some of those life saving vegetables are available, abundant and at their best. We are spoilt for choice with all sorts of vegetables available at our local farmers market because they come from warmer climates such as coastal areas or near Sydney. But what is coming out of our own backyard? Well in the local area we are picking things like peas, broad beans, globe artichokes, fresh garlic and plenty of leafy greens. Broad beans and globe artichokes are both a bit of work to prepare but I think they are well worth the effort - even if we aren't in a famine.

I have had a few people ask me for ideas on what to do with so many broad beans so here is a couple:

Broad Bean Salad with Mountain Ham and Mint

2-3kg fresh young broad beans     
1 bulb fennel                               
few spring onions,  finely sliced        
6 slices cured ham such as jamon serrano or prosciutto
Fruity olive oil
good handful of mint
1 lemon
salt and pepper                                                  
handful young salad greens (optional)  

Remove beans from their pods. To remove their skins, blanch the beans in boiling water for 1 - 2mintues, then cool in iced cool water  (the time required will depend on the maturity of the beans - the younger they are the less cooking required).  Pop out the beans by piercing the grey-green skins with your thumbnail to free the bright green, barely cooked bean.
Trim and wash the fennel.
When ready to make the salad, slice the fennel into thin shreds (a mandoline works well for this) and put into a bowl. Add the broad beans, sliced spring onions, and a good spinklng of sea salt. Drizzle generously with fruity olive oil to coat. Coarsely chop the mint leaves and add them, then squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the salad. Toss well, taste and add more salt, oil and or lemon juice if required.

Put onto serving platter and surround with thin slices of mountain ham. You can slice the ham fine or just tear it into pieces and scatter over. Garnish with a few fresh young salad greens and serve. serves 4

Morocan broad bean dip
Try serving this with fresh or toasted pita bread and a plate of fat black olives. It is also great as a dip for raw veggies or spread on sour dough toast.

1kg broad beans, shelled (larger, starchier beans are better for this recipe)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly chopped oregano                                      
1 teaspoon ground cummin
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
garnish
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cummin
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 spring onions, finely chopped

Boil the shelled beans for 15 minutes until quite tender. Drain through colander set over a bowl and reserve the cooking water. Tip 1/2 cup cooking water into a blender. Add beans, garlic, oregano, cumin, oil, salt and pepper and blend. If too thick, pour in a further 1/2 cup cooking water and blend again to a smooth puree, stopping and scraping the mixture once or twice. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer to a flat, rustic-looking bowl. To garnish, mix paprika, chilli powder and cumin with oil, then dribble onto the puree, Scatter with spring onion. Serve with bread, toast or as a dip. 

Recipes: David Tannis and Stephane Alexander