What did you pick today

[Deb P]

Rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb...3 different varieties!

[Deb P]

[galina]

The first greenhouse strawberries for OH 

[Crystalmoon]

First cutting of my rocket & it was scrummy. Not got much to pick as my allotment is new but things are coming along well in general so hope to have good harvests.

[johhnyco15]

over wintered onions all harvested around the size of cricket balls out of 80 only lost 4 to white rot and them had just started so im able to use them today best onions for years well chuffed

[Jeannine]

Yesterday we managed to do our yearly family challenge.. the first meal by June 2nd!! We got lettuce, new kale shoots, 1 cucumber, spring onions ,1 tiny tomato, home pickled beets from last back end and  about 8 pea pods which made a decent salad, served with a few new potatoes,   a can of corned beef and a loaf of home made bread with rhubarb for dessert we had our first of the season  wartime meal!!!

[galina]

Great Jeannine!  Still only one peapod, so we have to defer a bit.  Tomatoes?  No chance!  - you did not mention these as part of the challenge.  Plus it is so cold, we need soups and stews atm here, not salad meals. 

Made a favourite yesterday - mince flavoured with chili and garlic and an egg - stuffed our huge chard leaves with them and cooked them slowly in a tomato sauce (from tomatoes in kilner jars), grated cheese over the top when the sauce was cooked down and nicely thick.  Served with rice and steamed Daubenton kale strips.  So good and warming, especially because I added a chilli (from the freezer) to the mince. 

Also picked a handful of three-cornered leek (all the flowering ones), chopped and added to the mince before blanching and stuffing the chard.

As the chard is absolutely at its best now, I also put a few portions into the freezer and a few portions of kale.

The Portuguese kale is slowing down flowering now and I trimmed it because it nearly blocked the path.  Another 4 freezer bags of finely shredded kale. 

Incidentally, we are just now eating the very last winter squash, a big butternut squash, one portion left to savour.  Hopefully the courgettes are not long coming. 

[johhnyco15]

stawberries gooseberries lettuce and chive flowers

[Jeannine]

Galina, chard is one I have never been able to get to like, I am growing some again this year just a couple of plants in order to try to get to terms with it. I sowed Bright Lights which is really just a blend, I have a vivid yellow one and a brilliant red one up so am looking for any ideas as to what to do with it. I can eat it as mixed microshoots at about 2 inches tall. I have grown it many times but always gave it to the foodbank, it is my challenge this year to use it myself.

[galina]

Jeannine, chard is very similar (to my palate) to spinach, with one large difference.  You get stalks too.  And they are like quite a different vegetable to the green leaves.  They have far less oxalic acid in them and braised in a tomato sauce with oregano or thyme, are quite delectable. 

Cream makes spinach into something nice, as does butter, as does finely chopped bacon and the same applies to chard leaves.  Cut finely (shred the leaves) and 'wilt' them (I think this is the chef term for 'very lightly cook') in butter, lard, bacon fat etc and very little water.  Or cook in little water and finish with cream.

Personally I use chard for burgers - I put an unmeasured (large) amount of chard leaves with mince, onions, garlic, pepper and one egg into the kitchen machine.  Blitz, form burgers and fry.  Much healthier than adding bread or bread crumbs to make beef burgers and, I can't tell one from the other (but I may not have the most refined palate).  The initial green colour disappears on cooking.

Chard parcels I have described already.  This was originally a Sophie Grigson recipe from Switzerland, but I changed it quite a bit, so that the only thing that is really similar, is using chard leaves as wrappers.

Another classic recipe is chard quiche.

Lastly any spinach recipe lends itself to chard too.  Maybe Eggs Florentine could be a starter recipe for you?

Sorry this is more 'how to cook' than 'what was picked' from the garden, but it was in response to your looking for ideas on how to use chard (and onions, spring onions and the oregano which is also just about now at its best).

Bon Appetit!   
 

[sparrow]

Spuds! First lot of Dunluce 

[saddad]

Just a lettuce, (four Seasons) and some salad leaves... buckler leaved sorrel and rocket. Asparagus yesterday so left the few spears until tomorrow.

[cornykev]

Rhubarb 5 mins ago.     

[ACE]

I'm in with the rhubarb, plus strawberries, broad beans, radish and globe artichokes. Nearly tempted to dig a few spuds, but I will leave it another week.

[johhnyco15]

strung up my overwintered onions today and some spuds

[johhnyco15]

and some spuds out of my one of my tubs

[galina]

First mangetouts, chard and lettuce.  And a shallot which looked to be ailing - had white rot starting on the outside, centre still usable, not so good.  Hope the others stay ok. 

[plotstoeat]

garlic, mange tout and spuds
Aioli tonight!

[tricia]

Rhubarb and one Cavili courgette (mushroom and courgette omelette for supper tonight followed by rhubarb with yoghurt!).

Tricia   

[johhnyco15]

shallots lots of them 4 rows drying Nicely in the greenhouse only lost 3 to the dreaded white rot garlic tomorrow weather permitting think i might have lost a few of them however fingers crossed

[saddad]

Asparagus... shot up with this rain... even giving some away it's going to  have to be soup time...