Freshski's

What a wild ride it’s been in the gardens this spring.  Just about everything has been earlier than normal by many weeks.  And now it is nearly over long before it should.  If you are like me, you have already disposed of the greens, which probably have bolted due to the higher temperatures.  Root crops like radishes and turnips are starting to taste hotter and pithier by the day.  So let’s move on to the most consistent season we have here for the gardens.

Yes that would be the coming of summer and the coming of hot days and warm nights.  By now you should have planted your tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini/summer squash, eggplant, okra and corn, if you have the space.  All of these sun lovers thrive in our climate.  And many consider the tomatoes here to be the best in the country.  I’d have to agree as the warm nights add fullness and character to the taste of any tomato grown here.  You should be seeing all of this summer delights in local groceries, road side stands and farmers markets by mid month and lasting long into the remaining growing season.

Look for English, snow and sugar snap peas at your markets in the first two weeks of this month.  They should be better than average but the season is short and they will only be available for a few weeks.  You will also start to see many items that you should try if you have not in the past.  For example, bulb fennel is outstanding and great prepared with seafood or simply grilled.  The beautiful Swiss chard is a must for those wanting to add earthiness and texture to any number of dishes. And we must not forget the beets of all colors, red, yellow, striped, and white.  Try them roasted or grilled to bring out the sugars and intensify the flavors.  Beets are especially good when paired with a goat or cream cheese. 

There will be broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage this month.  You should try it, as it will be good.  But remember the taste and compare it later in the fall when the best Cole crops are grown in this area.  The same goes for carrots and the last of the spring greens, including kale, mustards, and collards.  The heat does change the taste of these vegetables and are best grown and harvested in the cool days and nights in the fall.

For those of you who garden and have lots of space, consider melons and winter squash.  Now would be a good time to plant these for harvest later this summer and fall.  Melons are a bit tricky and require a sandy soil.  Far too often, they look good on the outside but really aren’t as sweet as we would like.  It is best to buy these at markets from growers who have the soil conditions to ensure the sweet tastes that you will enjoy.

Winter squash is on a roll in this area and some growers are introducing many varieties that are discovering a rebirth in Midwest kitchens.  Local restaurants are demanding more and more winter squash for the fall and winter and you will see many more varieties at the markets later this year.  It will be an exciting time to experiment with one of the most flavorful and versatile vegetables.  Use them in soups, pastas, stews, and desserts.

Herbs are popping up all over.  Basils, parsleys, chives, dill, oregano, and mints of all kind are ready for your kitchen.  Cooking with fresh herbs is enjoyable and adds flavor to whatever you prepare for friends and family.  You can even use some in desserts and drinks. Fresh herbs give you the opportunity to experiment and discover flavors that you may be missing.  Give them all a try, even the unusual ones like shisho, borage and savory.

Those of you who took advantage of the early strawberry season know how good they were this year.  And the blueberry and blackberry seasons will be too.  Look for both of these beautiful berries all month at just about every market.  You may want to be adventurous and try some gooseberries or elderberries, but they will be a little more difficult to find.

The growing season has been a real success this year in spite of the unusual weather patterns and roller coaster temperature changes.  This month will be a strong month for lots of local vegetables, herbs and fruit, and cut flowers for those who enjoy the beauty of summer bouquets in your rooms.  Sunflowers, zinnias and others will be in great supply at farmers markets as many growers have added them to their fields.  June will be a very good month and will be busting out with the best of spring and summer.

At long last spring is here with warmer and longer days.  Everything should be improving in the gardens from this point into fall. You may already bee seeing spring greens, radishes, beets and small carrots from your gardens.  And now that the rest of the local Farmer’s Markets begin to open, you will see the many of your favorite vegetables, herbs and fruit, including asparagus and strawberries.

Yes, fresh asparagus and strawberries should be incredible this spring and they will be earlier than normal.  Both are short spring seasons in our area and will last only to the end of the month or a little later.  You should see them everywhere, including farmer’s markets, CSA’s, commercial and local groceries. 

Fresh local asparagus and strawberries have intense flavors making them one of the most prized items during any of our growing seasons. Local asparagus will be very tender with outstanding flavor and texture.  And strawberries will be big, juicy and with a sweet taste that will make you come back for more. Asparagus and strawberries both freeze well and strawberries have the added value of being made into jams, jellies, and preserves.   

If you prefer to pick your own strawberries, there are many U-Pick farms in both Missouri and Illinois that offer you that option.  Nothing better than being in a huge strawberry patch with nothing but time to fill your containers to the top.  It’s a very satisfying experience as you pick as many as you need while occasionally popping one in your mouth. This is one of the real treats of spring and always worth the time and the effort.  

Many local restaurants will also be featuring them as long as the supplies last. The local food magazines, Feast and Sauce, generally publish information on where to find asparagus and strawberries in local restaurants.  Both magazines maintain close relationships with the city’s best chefs and are a source of local fresh information on restaurant scene.  

Now that it is May, expect all of the local Farmer’s Markets to begin to open throughout the month.  Market, markets everywhere, from Tower Grove Park, to Clayton, to Edwardsville, and to Ferguson.  There are too many to list here but most are open on Saturday mornings early until the early afternoon.  A good directory for local farmers markets can be found here:

http://agebb.missouri.edu/fmktdir/index.htm

Farmer’s markets will be loaded with freshness in color, texture and taste.  You’ll see greens of every shape and color, beets, carrots, Swiss chard, onions, radishes, kale, collards, mustards, arugula, parsley, chives, sorrels, mints, and other early herbs.  Later in the month, the first of the peas, beans, zucchini, garlic, potatoes and summer squashes will make the scene.  

May is a very good month to make that commitment to Local Fresh that you have been talking about for some time.  Fresh market shopping is a very good experience.  There will be lots of growers, lots of eggs and meat and lots of things to see and do.  You will enjoy the color, the crowds and the joy of knowing that you are buying the freshest and best products in this area.  It will be habit forming.

Meanwhile, all of your local home growers are also benefiting from the great weather and should be harvesting much of the same things sold at the market. You enjoyment is even greater as you can pick what you grew to feed yourself, family and friends.  There is nothing better for the soul than to walk though your own garden to search for just the right items for your next family meal.  

Commercial produce coming in from the coasts and the south gets better too in May.  You will begin to see corn, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, and berries.  The quality will be better than you have seen since the beginning of the year, but nowhere near the same as comparable local products. 

Just do a simple taste test between a California and a local strawberry.  The difference will be striking and mainly because of two factors.  Commercial vegetables and fruit are bred to withstand the riggers of transportation and are generally firmer and often picked partially ripe. But more importantly, local fresh products are usually harvested and sold within 48 hours giving them not only the best taste but also the highest levels in nutritional value.  

May is now the time to begin to plant the first of your warm season plants.  By mid-month you should have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplants, okra and beans in the ground.  The cycle really never ends as you will be harvesting and planting for the next several months.  You should take pride in you garden and use it for that special place in your home.  And for those items that you don’t have or can’t grow, you can always go to Market to Market with your friends and family.    

This rather mild winter can lead us into the rites of spring—a time some people consider sacred—when we may begin the rituals of planting, growing and harvesting the best of local, fresh produce. This may apply to those of us who have the desire to grow the finest vegetables, herbs and fruit for ourselves, our families, friends, neighbors and our customers. After all, gardening continues to remain one of the top-10 most popular hobbies in America.
    First, let’s all remember that in this part of the midwest, we can have three distinct outdoor growing seasons.  Let’s start at the beginning, the usually cool season, spring. In our gardens, we should typically be planting all of our cool-loving vegetables and herbs. You can plant any and all greens, root crops, peas and alliums to your heart’s content if the soil is in workable condition— not too wet or muddy.
    Also, you should now be planting those cool-loving herbs, including parsley, cilantro, thyme, mints, sorrel and chives. I think a good resource for the home gardener for choosing seasonal vegetable and herbs in your garden is the University of Illinois Extension website http://web.extension.illinois.edu/vegguide/.  
    As the days warm, you may be outside more and more to take advantage of the good weather and planting conditions.  At the same time, you may be starting your seedlings for the summer. You can enjoy starting tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers and squash indoors to get that head start for the summer. This can be an economical way to lower your costs and let you try varieties that you may not find at nurseries and garden centers. 
    Now let’s talk a little bit about the bonus season that most gardeners here may simply forget. I think the absolute best growing season here is fall. Everything grows outdoors between mid-August and the first nights of the killing freeze. The days tend to be hot but shorten until the temperatures moderate into the mid-70s to low 50s at night. 
    Yes, your summer vegetables will continue to thrive, but at a slower pace. The bonus typically comes in early August, when you can start to plant all of the cool spring vegetables and herbs again for the big fall finale. It may be hot and humid for you, but not for the little seedlings as they pop open and show themselves to the world. 
    As the seedlings mature, the last hot days of the harsh summer should not affect them, nor will they sprout to seed. You have to make sure that they have plenty of water to keep them strong and cool. In September, October and November, you could be rewarded with the best cool and warm season vegetables and herbs—and you may be amazed.
    There can be much to look forward to in the months ahead, but it’s only April and you may want to taste some excellent local products. Thankfully, more and more farmers and growers have taken advantage of the mild winter and early spring by planting earlier than normal. There should soon be an early supply of typical spring greens, onions and radishes that ordinarily are fast growers in cool, early-spring conditions.
    And a few farmers’ markets plan to debut this month with the first signs of spring.  Maplewood Farmers’ Market plans to begin in the middle of this month on Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Schlafly Bottleworks on Southwest Ave. at Manchester Road. Several good growers will arrive at Soulard Market on Saturday mornings this month. These are very fine growers who normally bring in very high-quality, early harvests.  
    Until our spring harvest really starts to roar into our area markets, anticipate large supplies of California avocados, strawberries and asparagus at your local grocery. They should be excellent in quality, but you can also anticipate higher prices due to rising fuel and operating costs. The avocado crop may be massive, with potentially strong supplies all the way into the fall.
    You may also see more and more U.S.-grown vegetables and fruit in your local grocery store.  This may only make you want more of our great local fresh products. You shouldn’t have to wait long, as the days get warmer and longer. More and more items will make their way to farmers’ markets and local groceries, including Sappington Farmers’ Market. 
    By May, everything should be in full swing, including local strawberries and asparagus. All of your favorite cool season crops should be readily available, including fennel, endive and tatsoi. Now is also a good time to start thinking about your canning and preserving plans for the rest of the season.  There should be enough bounty this year to allow you to can preserve or freeze vegetables and fruit into jams, jellies, salsas, sauces, or pickles. 
    Let the rites of spring begin!