Springtime Eats

Suddenly it’s spring. Yes, we still have cool nights and overcast mornings, but the warm late afternoon sun reminds us that hot weather is right around the corner. Trees are beginning to leaf out and spring flowers like calla lily and astromeria are in bloom in gardens all over Pasadena. There is a lot of activity in the vegetable patch too. All the early greens vegetables are ready to harvest. At the farmer’s markets you’ll find piles of green garlic, chives and spring onions as well as the season’s first snap peas, sugar peas and pea shoots. My favorite is the tender fava beans sold by the bunch. Just open the thick pods and much on the beans inside. A classic Italian snack pairs fresh fava beans with chunks of young pecorino cheese. The two taste delicious together.

The beauty of spring vegetables is in their diminutive size. Baby broccoli, tiny white cauliflower, small spring lettuces and tiny baby beets are harvested and take just minutes to prepare. Knobby celery root is ready to be transformed into soup or salads. Multihued breakfast radishes are in season as well as gigantic white daikon radishes whose mellow taste can approximate a potato when cooked.

This month farmers also pull lots of fresh carrots out of the ground. And contrary to what you see in the supermarket, the colors of farmers market carrots range from white to almost red-orange. Most spring carrots are long and slender with white tipped roots and luxurious green heads. But you also have Thumbelina carrots which are completely round.

It’s pretty easy to get kids hooked on carrots. They are sweet, portable and crunchy. Thanks to the marketing genius of “baby carrots”, many Odyssey students pack carrots for a lunchtime snack every day. That’s a good choice. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, Vitamin C and are a great source of fiber and potassium. They also deliver vitamin B folate to your body as well as trace minerals like manganese, calcium and magnesium.

We are giving carrots their due this month in our Harvest of the Month program. Our recipe looks south of the border for inspiration. We’ll be turning sweet carrots into something else entirely -- pickles. Mixed with cauliflower, jalapenos, cucumbers and fresh oregano, pickling carrots dresses them up in an entirely new outfit. Spicy, sweet and hot. What more could you want?

Mexican Pickled Carrots

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut in 1/4" slices on the diagonal
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and separated into small florets
1 pound pickling cucumbers, unpeeled, washed and cut into 1/4" on the diagonal
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and cut in half
3/4 cup chopped oregano leaves
1 quart white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 Tablespoons cracked peppercorns
3 red jalapeno peppers
3 green jalapeno peppers

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boil and blanch the carrots for three minutes. Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon to a colander and refresh under cold running water. Drain and reserve. Then blanch the cauliflower, for six minutes, drain and refresh. Put carrots, cauliflower and cucumbers in a large glass container, or three quart sized containers. Add the chopped oregano and mix.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the jalapeno's garlic and onion and return to a boil. Cook a minute longer and pour over the vegetables. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate covered -- Will last for one month