Spring Greens
Simple cooking & prep
Spring Greens
Method
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Step 1
For a cabbage, spring greens have a relatively short shelf life, especially later in the winter when they are hungry for nitrogen. They should go straight into your fridge in a plastic bag and be eaten within four days. As the days lengthen in the spring, the plants desperately try to push out new leaves. Most modern vegetable crops have been bred to expect regular applications of ammonium nitrate at this time to keep them going. In the absence of this shot in the arm, our crops adopt a strategy of sacrificing the old to feed the young: scarce nutrients mobilised and withdrawn from the outer leaves and used for new growth. Don't always condemn an organic cabbage or lettuce on the grounds of yellowing of the outer leaves; it is part of a strategy to survive adversity and, with a bit of trimming, the centre may be fine.
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Step 2
- If your spring greens have had a hard life (as indicated by smaller plants and tinges of purple), the flavour will be stronger and they may be better boiled; always use plenty of salted water at a rolling boil. Lusher, softer greens are best steamed, and can also be stir-fried. The leaf ribs can be very sweet and tender right down to where they join the stalk, especially if sliced thinly. My wife always insists on a knob of butter with steamed or boiled greens but, as a purist greens lover, I like them just as they are. As with all greens, you should get them on to the table as fast as possible.
