Don’t sleep on asparagus season
Make the most of the green spears during the vegetable’s short season. Follow up Nicola Galloway’s refreshing salad with a classic citrus treat.
Iam a little late to the game with asparagus this year. However, it is now on my radar and being enjoyed while its short season lasts.
Citrus continues the sweet theme, while I eagerly await the first berries in the coming weeks (I hope I am not being too optimistic here).
Here is a spring salad of sorts, using what is fresh and easy to access at this time of the year.
Other tasty additions could include; quartered boiled eggs, sliced red onion and radish, and wedges of creamy avocado.
Smoked salmon, asparagus & potato salad 3 medium waxy potatoes (about 400g), such as nadine or perlas
1 teaspoon salt
250g bunch asparagus, cut into 4cm lengths
2 cups (about 150g) salad greens 16 green olives
200g hot smoked salmon
For the dill dressing 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill, or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried
1⁄2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Pinch each of sugar and salt 100ml extra virgin olive oil
1. Scrub the potatoes, I left the skins on, although you can peel, if preferred. Cut into 4cm chunks and place into a saucepan, along with the salt. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain in a colander. Cover with a plate and leave to cool in the colander, until warm.
2. Make the dressing. Place all of the ingredients, besides the olive oil, into a small bowl and use a fork to combine. Continue to mix with the fork, while drizzling in the oil, until a thin, emulsified dressing is achieved.
3. On a large serving platter, arrange a bed of salad greens. Scatter over the potato and asparagus and dot with olives. Flake over the smoked salmon. Drizzle with the dressing, serving with extra on the side.
Mini meringue tarts
Ever since I made a few jars of citrus curd recently, it has been on my agenda to make some meringue tarts.
No rolling is required for the tart cases. Although, it is important to note, they are quite delicate while warm, so cool completely before removing them from the tins.
This can also be made into a larger 22cm tart, cooking the base and meringue for about 5 minutes longer. 1⁄2 cup (50g) rolled oats
1⁄2 cup (50g) ground almonds
1⁄2 cup (50g) desiccated coconut
1⁄2 cup (75g) plain flour (can use glutenfree flour mix)
Zest of 1 lemon
75g melted butter
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar 1 egg yolk
250ml citrus curd (find the recipe on stuff.co.nz), or use store-bought lemon curd
2 egg whites
1⁄4 cup (50g) caster sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan bake 160C). Grease 6 x 10cm loose-bottomed tart tins (or use 6 lined muffin holes).
2. Combine the oats, almonds, coconut, flour and zest in a bowl. Add the sweetener and egg yolk to the melted butter, stirring to combine. Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Divide between the tart tins and press firmly to evenly cover the base and sides. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 15 minutes.
3. Bake the tart cases for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden. Spoon the citrus curd evenly into the bases.
4. Make the meringue. Using a stand mixer or electric beater, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue to mix, while adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, until thick and voluminous. Evenly pipe or spoon the meringue onto the mini tarts. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the meringue is golden-tinged and softly set – it won’t be crispy.
5. Cool the tarts completely in the tins, then carefully remove using the tip of a small knife to loosen the edges. Best eaten the day of preparation.
Get busy in the greenhouse Plant the summer-heat loving crops now – tomatoes, eggplants, chillies, capsicums and cucumbers undercover. If you can get them, large grafted plants are well worth the money as they start producing earlier. Sow basil seed or transplant seedlings indoors, it’s still a bit soon to plant outdoors except in the warmest areas.
Remember that all plants grown undercover are dependent on the gardener for all irrigation. New seedlings and newly sown seeds are especially vulnerable to drying out. Water with a fine spray from a misting bottle or the fine rose of a watering can – and warm the water first.
Be generous with fertilisers but don’t overdo it. Regular dilute liquid feeds are better than a highly concentrated dose all at once. Remember the pollinators. Attract them into the greenhouse by planting the nectar-laden plants they love in or near your undercover growing area. Be prepared to get busy with a paintbrush if your area lacks bees. For tomatoes, brush past or stroke the plants to dislodge and spread the pollen.
Shade the most delicate seedlings in your glasshouse.
Get creative Now’s a great time for sowing undercover. Don’t fret if you don’t have a glass or tunnelhouse. Lean a spare window frame against the side of the house. Or pull a plastic bag over four sticks to make an effective plastic house for the time it takes to sprout and raise your seedlings to the point where they can go it alone. Or an upturned jar or clear plastic packaging can provide the conditions needed for successful seedling production.
In my garden, the clear plastic cover over the raised bed I wrote about a few weeks ago became too hot, so I’ve replaced it with insect mesh. It allows the rain through and provides protection from the wind. The temperature is slightly warmer under the cover than outside, but there’s enough air movement to keep the plants from cooking.
In with the new
The best celery I’ve ever grown was a great standby all winter. There were still edible stalks left, but the plants were thickening in the centre indicating that they are about to throw up a flower stem. White butterflies were showing too much interest in the kale and the poor spinach plants were past their prime.
I decided it was time to clear the decks to make room for summer crops. The soil has been refreshed with compost and sheep pellets.
I’ve planted a few radishes, spring onions and lettuces but left plenty of room for successive plantings of salad greens so I’ll have a steady supply over a long period rather than everything ready at once.
Keep on top of regular jobs Try to do a couple of small tasks every day so that you aren’t faced with a daunting to-do list on the weekend. Breaking up big jobs into several small tasks makes the work feel more manageable.
There’s no need to weed the entire garden in one go – spend 10 minutes weeding around the garlic and shallots today (they’ll grow much better without competition) and tackle another bed tomorrow.
Spending time in the garden daily helps you spot problems before they get out of control.
Aphids on new rose leaves or broad beans? Squish with your fingers or wash off with soapy water. Caterpillars on the brassicas? Squash caterpillars and flick off the eggs with a paint brush. Cover plants with insect mesh to prevent more eggs being laid. Rusty mint? Cut back to ground level. Healthy fresh leaves will grow back in time to flavour your new potatoes. But don’t concentrate on the problems. Take time to spot what’s coming into bloom, enjoy the scents, bird song and fresh air on your daily tour of the garden.
Off with their heads
It takes determination to snip off the last brave bloom still flowering when all its neighbours are dead or dying but a ruthless short back and sides when deadheading perennials does look better in the long run.
The plant will have a balanced shape and the next flush of flowers will synchronise with each other.
Alternatively you can stagger flowering over a longer period but cutting back different parts of a plant (or individual plants within a mass planting) to different heights.
This looks more natural for plants in a border rather than a stand-alone feature plant in a pot.
Gardening by the maramataka
Whiringa-a¯ -rangi is the fifth month of the maramataka and the traditional time for final land preparation for crops. We should now be fully immersed in the emergence of ko¯ anga (spring) following the flowering cues of trees and bushes such as the tı¯ ko¯ uka (cabbage tree).
For summer crops, this is the time to open the ground, turn the soil to expose it to the warmth of the sun and to allow nature to assist in pest control.
Soil temperatures matter and reading the soil through the return of new grass growth or emergence of spring weeds such as po¯ hue (convolvulus, native and introduced) or amaranthus (morewhero) gives a sure sign of the soil’s readiness to support spring cropping.