Yesterday afternoon, the sun was out, warming our yard for the first time in months. I ventured out to the garden to see what could be poking through the winter-weary ground. This is what I found.
This is watercress. I planted it about 15 years ago, from a small bundle of watercress which still had its roots, purchased from the produce section of the grocery store. I was using watercress in tea sandwiches and had a few leftover stems with roots attached. I thought that I might as well see if it grows if planted. It did, and it reseeds itself every year. I particularly like sprigs of watercress in place of lettuce on egg salad sandwiches. But it also makes a nice green for an early salad.
Here's what a single stem of a watercress plant looks like. Despite its name, it doesn't need to grow in standing water. In fact, it grows throughout my vegetable garden. Watercress is high in vitamins A, B6, B12, C, folate, and the minerals magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Watercress may help fight breast cancer and may help prevent colorectal cancer. It may also help thyroid, cardiovascular, and bone health, and may help prevent cognitive decline. (www.organicfacts.net)
These are garlic greens. Garlic greens are the above ground, immature portion of garlic. What most of us think of as garlic is the bulb of a mature garlic plant. In early spring, the bulb sends up shoots that look a bit like fat grass stems. As the season progresses, the bulb grows and begins to form sections. At that time, the green portion turns brown and dies back.
Garlic greens have the same immune-boosting and anti-bacterial/inflammatory benefits of the garlic bulb, but the greens are milder in flavor. A few shoots snipped into bits adds a nice zip to salads and sauces.
This is sorrel. Sorrel is a perennial herb, coming back very early in the spring in my region. The tender baby leaves are good in salads, imparting a tangy, almost lemony flavor. Sorrel is high in oxalic acid, so the recommendation is to eat it in moderation. Sorrel is rich in several vitamins and minerals, and it is known as a digestive aid, as well as being beneficial for diabetics. It is reactive to aluminum and cast-iron, so it should only be cooked in stainless steel or enameled pots. Cream of sorrel soup is a well-known use of this herb, but it is also delicious in omelets, quiches, mixed in with mashed potatoes, added raw to hummus, and fresh used in chicken sandwiches or salads.
Due to the health warnings about oxalic acid, anyone concerned about adverse effects should read this article from www.verywellfit.com.
These are baby sorrel leaves. When picked young, both stalks and leaves are tender. Later in the season, the stalks are stringy and are best removed from the leaves before using in cooking.
I plant both kale and Swiss chard late in the summer for early spring harvesting. Early spring is a low time for the garden and a period of high produce prices at the market, so having something for garden harvesting is welcome. The chard and kale will bolt some time in April, but for now, we have something fresh and green.
My salad spinner is full of herbs and leafy greens. Time to make a salad. An herb salad is so highly flavored that I treat it almost like a condiment. I chop the pieces small, then dress in a sweet vinaigrette and serve in small portions. Its bite is refreshing and wakes up the palate during an ordinary supper.
These early garden herbs and greens will continue to produce for about a month, adding variety to our budget-vegetable rotation of cabbage, carrots, onions, and canned vegetables.
