A word about raab, those broccoli-like florets that mean the beginning of the end for kale and other winter greens. Raab might be my favorite thing about early spring eating — the stems and florets can be so tender and toothsome, and they cook to such a brilliant green in moments. I especially love them in udon and ramen soups. And they appear in the garden and at farmers markets just when you’re sure you cannot wait one more second for peas and asparagus to arrive.
But a word to the wise. Rinse well in cold water, adding salt if you like, to chase out gray aphids and other buglikes. I learn the hard way every year, because I sometimes don’t wash stuff I’ve grown with just sunshine and water. Yeah, the critters get cooked, and I think a couple here or there are harmless. An entire flotilla, though, and you’ve got a different kind of soup on your hands.
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April 9, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Jenn A
Ha, so true! When I was a kid my parents tried to cook some homegrown cauliflower in the microwave. They said that it sounded like popcorn.
Ew.
April 11, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Katrina
The surprise here last week was little slugs in the cabbage. The heads are so loose right now they have the perfect habitat. My husband refused to eat the slaw after I showed him though. Which left for me. I loved it. Thanks for the reminder about the raab. Haven’t had a bit of it yet this season.
April 12, 2010 at 9:14 pm
audrey
Jenn – such a memorable image – microwaved aphids, that’s getting into fried worm territory. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Katrina – bunking down between loose cabbage leaves sounds so cozy – unless it’s slugs. That’s an interesting twist on cole slaw!
April 13, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Tammy McLeod
I’ve had a couple of those surprises before. Especially when I’ve made something for a friend’s house and hear that “uh, er, did you get this from your garden?” I know a critter has been spotted. Here, my spring favorite is the fennel – sauteed with freshly shelled peas. Mmmm.
April 21, 2010 at 9:03 pm
audrey
Tammy – a bug here or there seems like an easy trade for home grown food home made by a friend! I can’t wait for the freshly shelled peas either. We’ll be buying at the farmers market this year, sadly I didn’t get them into the ground in time.
April 22, 2010 at 8:26 am
Langdon Cook
We ate pasta with rapini & parm the other night (same stuff, raab and rapini, right?). So good. I’ve been meaning to look for wild varieties like wintercress but it’s probably too late. BTW, can I get my copy of “House of Hope & Fear” signed?
April 26, 2010 at 9:19 am
audrey
Lang, rapini sounds fancier than raab, don’t you think? We’ll have to do a mutual book signing sometime. Hope the Fat of the Land book tour is going well.