Harvest Monday April 25, 2016

Welcome to Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. The asparagus is coming on strong now that the weather has settled and is seasonably warm. We hauled in 16 ounces one day last week, which was our biggest daily harvest. A few days later we got 21 ounces to add to the totals. We’ve gotten 11 pounds of it so far this year. It is a highlight of seasonal eating for us here, and even though the calendar year starts in January the harvest season starts with the first asparagus.

Much of that in the above photo wound up on the grill. I love it prepared that way, but I have to say I like it most every which way, including raw. Asparagus is a prebiotic food when raw, but I like it mostly just because it tastes good! The grilled asparagus wound up in a meal I’ll talk about later.

I also steamed a big bunch of it for a lunch of Asparagus Mimosa. I like to use the bamboo steamer for that, as it can hold more asparagus than our stainless steel steamer.

Other than asparagus, I made a cutting from a couple of Wild Garden Kale Mix plants that survived the winter unprotected. One had fairly flat leaves while the other one was more frilly like a Red Russian. Both were tender and sweet tasting.

Some of the kale wound up in a hash I made with purple fleshed Purple sweet potatoes and the white fleshed Bonita. I think the combo made for a visually appealing dish that was tasty and nutritious as well. Add beans or eggs and you’d have a main dish meal. I used it as a side dish for some fish.

The salad boxes in the greenhouse continue to give us a steady supply of lettuce leaves for salads. It’s been so nice to have while I wait for the plants in the cold frame beds to size up.

I used some of my recently prepared Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce to make a batch of bean enchiladas. I made the filling from Black Tepary beans. I have some of these beans I plan on growing this year, and I have to say they seem to be pretty versatile in the kitchen. They hold their shape well for salads or soups, but they also work well when mashed up for refried beans. I made the enchilada sauce from some of our homemade unseasoned tomato sauce and some of my homegrown chile powder.

I made a batch of Michelle’s Green Quinoa Pilaf last week. I used green garlic and parsley instead of the scallions and cilantro she used, since that was what I had. I used the overwintered flat-leaf Splendid parsley I have growing in the greenhouse, which is only now starting to bolt but still loaded with lots of leaves.

After baking I topped the dish with a mix of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Asiago cheeses and put it back in the oven for a minute to melt the cheese. My wife and I both really enjoyed the dish. Lynda even called it “comfort food like macaroni and cheese.” I totally agree, and I can see making this dish again for sure. Since our season for fresh spinach is fairly short here, I may try making it with kale. I will definitely use scallions too when I have them, which should be fairly soon. The pictures don’t really do it justice. I’m always looking for new ways to use quinoa, and thanks to Michelle I have another one!

Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to share, add your name and blog link to Mr Linky below. And be sure and check out what everyone is harvesting!