Forced rhubarb
You will see this lovely pink rhubarb
throughout February. Check out our recipes. Cook very lightly, delicious as a
compote with roast pork, in a crumble, or roasted with ginger syrup and orange.
Forced
rhubarb
Asparagus
You may see the start of the English
asparagus as the weather warms up. Don’t mess with it -just steam and serve
with butter, lemon, salt and pepper. The season is so short, it is worth making
the most of it, as it has a very different taste to any imported asparagus.
Asparagus
Broad beans
The first of the season, early beans aren’t
as sweet as those in June, but they’re a welcome treat. Serve raw or lightly
steamed.
Broad
beans
New potatoes
The early new potatoes are so welcome –
steam and serve with a sprinkling of sea salt and butter, or roast in the oven
with garlic, rosemary and olive oil.
New
potatoes
Rocket
As the ground warms up, home-grown rocket
starts to appear. It makes a good salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and
some Parmesan shavings. Or add it to a risotto.
Rocket
salad
Spinach
Not as high in iron as we used to think,
but still good for you. Spinach cooks down to nothing, so you do need a huge
amount if you are serving it as a side dish. It is very gritty, so put in a big
sink of cold water then scoop it off the water, rather than letting it drain to
get all the grit off.
Spinach
Spring onions
Essential in a stir-fry, and good added to
Thai curries. They need to be finely shredded for salads as they can overpower
everything else.
Spring
onions