Spring Vege Bag - Week 10
Click on any vegetable that has a link to see previous posts with recipes and cooking tips. You can also browse and filter the whole vege bag archive by vegetable here.
We’ve got a new producer supplying Ōtaki Vege Bag’s this week! Limes from Trinity Rose Farm - minimal “food miles” on these limes - Crooked Vege Ōtaki farms on their back paddock :)
Seasons are a-changing
It all feels very spring-y right now - loads of rain, loads of wind, loads of sun. It’s tough a tough time on plants, and we’re saying farewell to more of the winter plantings. This will be the last week of dill for a long while, probably the last of Ahoaho’s onions (I actually thought they were finished ages ago, but apparently there was one more crate in storage), and this will be the second-to-last week of celery - which will taken out of the greenhouse next week to make way for cherry tomatoes.
We’ve got fruit forming on the zucchinis. With the first zucchini comes the promise of summer abundance. I reckon we’ll have the first couple ready to harvest on Sunday. Hopefully enough for next weeks vege bags, and if not, surely the week after!
This week we have:
Salad Mix (Ahoaho māra kai)
Onions (Ahoaho māra kai) or limes (Trinity Rose Farm)
Oregano (Ahoaho māra kai), parsley or dill (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Celery (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Microgreens (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Beetroot (Live2Give Organics)
Leeks (Live2Give Organics)
Vege Highlights/suggested uses
Oregano
Fresh oregano is a little uncommon in our kitchens - I’m not sure why, as it grows well enough in our climate, and a lot of people are familiar enough with this Mediterranean herb to have the dried version in their pantry.
For those less familiar, its great in tomato-y italian and mexican dishes (chilli beans, pasta sauces, pizza), as well as on roast vege and soups.
Leeks
We use leeks quite a lot in our house - our flatmate has an allergy to onions, so we use them the same way as you would onions. They work just as well, and I appreciate that I don’t need to peel them!
Some people seem to discard the top parts of leeks, but these are still really tasty. We use them a bit like spring onions (cut very thin and/or cooked a little longer than you would spring onions).
Lime Herb sauce
A common feature of our own kitchen is loose spin on the South American “chimichurri.” It’s quick, easy and versatile, and works well on meats, roast vegetables, sandwiches, eggs, in salads... you get the idea.
Blend up herbs (any herb works - oregano, dill, parsley etc) with oil, some kind of citrus (e.g. lime!) and salt. You can add any vinegar, pepper, chillies, garlic, the green tops of leeks, cumin - nearly anything works. For a very different, but similarly simple sauce, stir in some yoghurt.
Ka kite,
Jon
