Welcome to a new gardening season.
We weren’t entirely sure if spring would happen this year. After a few meltingly hot days there was a winter blast. Three inches of snow and consecutive 18-degree nights zapped developing blossoms on the redbuds and lilacs. Even the leaves on the deciduous trees, which were cautiously emerging, seemed to halt in their growth. Like they’d crawled back into their buds. Yet the cooler, rainy climate — our new Northwestern-themed weather — has been perfect for the dogwoods. Cascading with blossoms as blinding white as a newscaster’s teeth, they’ve been astounding.
As I write this, we’ve had a rainy early morning that was followed by a warm and steamy spell, when we snuck outside to put in some geraniums and petunias and start digging up the herb bed. Then once again the sky darkened with little breaks of bright. Ten minutes of thunder-hail flattened some of our newly planted flowers, and patches of hail remained hours later.
So far, even with the hail, this is not bad garden weather. We always need rain, until we don’t. Anything that already is in and started as a plant such as potatoes and onions are looking strong. But wet, cool soil conditions are not ideal for germinating new seeds. The seeds that have sprouted are a little slow, although we’ve had salads from the ruffled red and green lettuce in the raised bed and I devoured the first spicy radish.
Our sweet peas, happily, are thriving because it’s so cool, if the chipmunks will please lay off. The pea fence went up today, and the peas are starting to climb.
Rhubarb is flourishing as well. I’m harvesting thick, ruby stalks from our healthiest plant, the Canadian one. We’ve planted three more rhubarbs this year, all in a row. You can never have enough rhubarb, and if you do, you can always freeze it. If you’re putting in a plant, dig a nice big hole and enrich the soil with plenty of compost. Don’t pick it the first year; wait until the second.
A fellow rhubarb lover is Trevett Hooper, chef and owner of Legume restaurant, in Oakland. When I saw he was featuring rhubarb crisp on his spring menu, I asked for the recipe. Rhubarb is special to him. “I remember going out to the rhubarb patch with my dad and we'd just eat it raw dipped into a bowl of sugar. It's one of my earliest food memories,” he said.
On a savory note, I’m getting greens inspiration from “The Power Greens Cookbook” by Dana Jacobi. Greens have just started coming up in my garden: two types of chard, spinach, turnips and beets will provide plenty of tasty, good-for-you greens. Greens are terrific sources of antioxidants that according to the book “play a critical role as our body’s cleanup team.”
In New York City, I tasted Ms. Jacobi’s terrific Brussels Sprouts Pinzimonio, where crisp-cooked sprouts are dipped into a zesty salsa verde. In the recipe, parsley and Brussels sprouts provide a double-punch of greens goodness. Some other recipes I plan to try as my greens grow are Collard Greens Cacciatore and a Greek lentil stew with red chard. I’m intrigued too by her Power Oatmeal. Combining steel-cut oats, dried fruit, walnuts, chia seeds and crisped kale, it’ll make a bracing start to the day.
Eat your greens, hope for sunny weather and plant your garden.
Miriam Rubin: mmmrubin@gmail.com or on Twitter @mmmrubin.
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Rhubarb Crisp
PG tested
This recipe is courtesy of Legume restaurant from its spring dessert menu; its owner, Trevett Hooper, calls rhubarb and ginger “a classic combo.” In this crisp, crystalized ginger adds pizzazz. Legume serves the crisp in individual ramekins, but it is easier in one larger dish.
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine table salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened, cut in cubes
1 pound rhubarb, leaves removed, cut into ½-inch chunks (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1½ tablespoons finely chopped crystalized ginger
In medium bowl, mix together flour, oats, brown sugar and salt with a fork, crumbling brown sugar with your fingers. Add butter and cut in with fingers or a pastry blender until evenly distributed and the mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate while preparing rhubarb.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put rhubarb in an 8-by-8-inch square glass-baking dish. Through small strainer, sift over sugar and cornstarch and toss to mix well. Mix in ginger. Sprinkle evenly with oat mixture.
Bake until topping is lightly golden and fruit is tender and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla (or ginger) ice cream.
Makes 4 servings.
— Trevett Hooper of Legume
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Hummus With Arugula and Parsley
PG tested
This is an especially yummy and clever hummus variation. Dana Jacobi writes that she likes serving this hummus in “the Israeli way called masabacha, topped with warmed whole chickpeas, a swirl of fruity olive oil, and a dusting of cumin and paprika.”
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup lightly packed wild or baby arugula
1/2 cup firmly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 scallion, green part only, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
In food processor, pulse chickpeas to coarsely chop. Add arugula, parsley, scallion, garlic, cumin, tahini and lemon juice; pulse until vegetables are finely chopped, stopping once or twice to scrape bowl.
With motor running, drizzle in oil, and pulse until blended in. If hummus is too thick, add warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until spreadable but still slightly grainy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in a bowl, with chips and cut-up raw vegetables. This will keep for 3 days tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Makes about 1½ cups; 4 servings.
— Adapted from “The Power Greens Cookbook” by Dana Jacobi (Ballantine Books; April 12, 2016; $22)
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Spicy Chopped Salad
PG tested
I had no agave syrup so I used honey. The radish is sliced and then quartered to keep the color from bleeding. Arugula contains calcium, along with vitamin K and magnesium to protect your bones, writes Dana Jacobi, while watercress contains “an array of anti-inflammatory antioxidants.”
Salad
2 lightly packed cups baby arugula
1 lightly packed cup watercress sprigs
1 large Persian cucumber, peeled and sliced, or 6-inch European cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 large red radishes, sliced and quartered
1 large scallion, white and green parts, chopped
Dressing
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons raw agave syrup
For the salad: Coarsely chop arugula and watercress and place in serving bowl. Add cucumber, red pepper, radishes and scallion. Use two forks to toss and combine.
For the dressing: In small bowl, whisk lemon juice, vinegar and salt and 3 or 4 grinds pepper until salt dissolves. Whisk in oil and agave. If you like, store dressing and undressed salad separately in the refrigerator for 8 hours. To serve, dress and toss the salad.
Makes 4 servings.
— Adapted from “The Power Greens Cookbook” by Dana Jacobi (Ballantine Books; April 12, 2016; $22)
First Published: May 11, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
