Spring

During the depths of the pandemic, I needed something to lift my spirits. I decided to embrace ideas from the beautiful French potager gardens. I am not alone in thinking about and spending more time in the garden. In a recent 2021 study published in the Journal “Sustainability”, 51% of surveyed Canadians reported growing at least one vegetable or fruit at home, and 17% began home food gardening because of the pandemic.  The newcomers were young millennials.  While ramping up our home food production, why not make the gardens as beautiful as possible in the French style.

‘Potager’ is a thick vegetable soup, so the original potager garden was designed to produce all the vegetables needed for the soup. In early monasteries the potager gardens were designed in four-quadrants representing the Cross. They were simple and utilitarian. But, during the 16^th century, the potager gardens became decorative with highly structured and elaborate forms as is illustrated in the map (pictured above) showing the planting organization of one segment of the Villandry potager gardens in the Loire Valley.  While gloriously elaborate potager gardens continue in France, modern approaches are far less formal and are basically a romantic confluence of flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit. Pathways, borders; order and chaos, as well as vertical elements are hallmarks of the potager garden.

On my journey to introduce elements of the potager garden into my own vegetable gardens, I decided to start with some selected vertical elements and edible flowers. The vertical elements include simple bamboo tripods, obelisks, and lattice, but other options are arbours, statues or artistic design features. For culinary flowers, the options are numerous. I love the gorgeous flowers of nasturtium, calendula, borage, scarlet runner pole beans, lavender, bergamot, anise hyssop, squash and unsprayed flowers like pansies, viola, and geranium. The moral of the story is to think about how beauty meets function in the home food garden.

It is said that in France the home based potager garden was inspired by “vive en autarcie” or long live self-sufficiency. It appears that we Canadians are also embracing the value of self-sufficiency along with our desire to have good wholesome food and to make a lighter environmental footprint. Adding some culinary flowers or even ornamentals to the vegetable garden, some pathways and vertical elements will bring enhanced beauty to home food production.

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

There is no doubt that a productive, lush garden is key to great fresh and preserved foods. And spring is the time to plan. Almost everyone can grow some food whether on a sunny window, a balcony, in a pot on a deck or in gardens. Also, there is the option of participating in community gardening around our region. There are so many reasons to grow food. It’s fresher, chemical free, it’s good for the environment, it’s satisfying, and it connects us to the earth and rhythms of nature. With skyrocketing food prices, growing food just makes sense.

I am no expert when it comes to gardens. I’m a ‘learn-as-you-go’ kind of gardener. I have 9 raised beds of 3 x 12ft which my husband and I made. I know there are pros and cons to raised beds, but for me there are two reasons I like them. First, the dense clay of my property is tough to deal with so raised beds are simpler to manage. And, I’m not a spring chicken, so raised beds are easier on the body. There are prefabricated raised beds, ‘veggie pods’ that are popular or rustically built beds like the one in the picture taken on a working hacienda outside of the Mexican city of Merida. It’s branch design with a burlap liner is perfect for the cilantro that is growing inside. Large pots, cattle troughs or barrels are also forms of raised beds. Whether your ambitions are large or small, it all starts with a sunny location, good soil, and a plan.

I have been rethinking my growing practices. I have shifted my perspective about where my food should be grown. It’s not just in the raised beds, but every garden on the property can be interspersed with edibles. Rainbow chard, kale, mustard, anise hyssop and herbs are beautiful next to flowers. A pot on the deck filled with tumbling tomatoes and basil looks just as nice as a pot of flowers. In addition to annuals, edible perennial landscaping is taking hold as a smart way to build home food production. Instead of planting an ornamental bush, plant a fruit bearing bush. Add a dwarf fruit tree. For ideas about perennial edibles, visit the Fiddlehead Nursery on Grey Rd 13 north of Kimberley.

There is always debate (aka family squabbles) about when to plant! If you are an eager beaver, you probably have started some seeds in a sunny window or under a grow light. Seeds can be started indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date. By the end of April, it’s good to direct sow the cold-loving vegetables like spinach, arugula, chard, cabbage, and beets. I found a great planting website for this year. You can insert your location and get a printable copy of what and when to plant. End of squabbles! Here’s the link: https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar/on/Collingwood

For we who love growing and preserving food, this time of year is so exciting. Imaging the future garden and sharing your production with friends, family, food banks, meal programs or the Second Harvest is very rewarding not to mention helpful to the community. Grab your gloves, hoe, trowel, and plans, and get outside.

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

The long, cool spring has meant a bumper crop of asparagus and aren’t we lucky. This versatile vegetable has a long history dating back to the Egyptians and was described in Roman culinary writing as early as the 1st century AD. It is packed with vitamins and minerals and is known for its diuretic, expectorant and stimulant properties. Throughout history, only one rule pertains to asparagus: do not overcook!

A quick, short cook is the best way to enjoy asparagus. Whether you steam, roast with prosciutto, grill, serve cold drizzled with balsamic or indulged with Hollandaise, asparagus is a perennial springtime favorite. And, let’s not forget the silky asparagus soup.

Asparagus preserves very well in several forms. It can be blanched and frozen or dehydrated. It is excellent in fermented form. Pickled asparagus is delicious when eaten or popped into a Caesar drink. Asparagus, like most vegetables, is low-acid and must be pressure canned for long-term storage. Whether frozen, dried, canned or pickles, asparagus is a constant reminder of spring.

Embrace the bumper crop of asparagus this year and experiment with new recipes or try your hand at preserving asparagus for enjoyment in the winter months when sourcing fresh vegetables can be a challenge.

For more information contact: martha@thevalleypreservery.ca

My berries are starting to turn a beautiful red so I expect to see the spring beauties in the grocery stores very soon. There is probably no other jam as popular as strawberry. I know I have made cases of it for my grandsons! I wanted to focus on a few tips about making strawberry jam.

In North America we have wild strawberries, the tiny and intensely flavoured version are delicious on a salad or ice cream. The berries we tend to grow and buy were originally imported from Europe. Strawberries are high in Vitamin C and manganese and are rich in antioxidants. Ironically, most commercial berries have been heavily sprayed with pesticides making them one of the biggest culprits on the “dirty dozen list”. If you buy commercially grown berries, all is not lost. Giving them a 30 second bath in a solution of 2 teaspoons of baking soda to one quart of water and then rinsing will remove pesticide residues according to research done by Test Kitchens of America. Pesticides break down in alkaline solutions. While this method doesn’t work for all pesticides, it does work for the most commonly used spray varieties. So, give them a dunk.

Strawberry jam is notoriously known for the floating fruit problem. That’s when the fruit floats to the top of the liquid as it gels. Some people just don’t worry about it telling people to stir the jam before eating. That works. But if the floaters bother you, here are a few ideas that might help the problem. Floating occurs because the air in the cells of the fruit cause it to lift up like a balloon. Therefore, removing the air, to the extent possible, will reduce the floating phenomenon. For example, some recipes call for putting the sugar on the chopped fruit and allowing the combination to sit for several hours. Doing so helps the sugar to migrate into the cells so the air can no longer causing floating. Long-boil or traditional cooking of the jam without the addition of commercial pectin will also result in less air and therefore less floating. If you are using commercial pectin, before putting the jam into hot jars, stir the jam frequently for about five minutes. This method can help a bit. The final tip is to ensure the berries are chopped finely and crushed. A pastry blender and potato masher are helpful instruments. Don’t use a food processor as it adds air to the berries. Finely chopped and crushed berries have already released air so the tendency to float is much reduced.

We all await strawberry season with much anticipation. It seems like the announcement of summer – strawberry shortcakes, cordials, jellies and jams. Whether being used in salads, desserts or preserved for winter, strawberries are no doubt one of nature’s great gifts.

For more information: martha@thevalleypreservery.ca

As spring flowers awake, we are reminded that despite the chaos of today, spring has arrived in all its hopeful glory. One of the first edibles in spring is the mighty, versatile and inexpensive rhubarb. Often called the “pie fruit”, rhubarb is actually a perennial vegetable. While the leaves are poisonous and must be removed, the stalks are packed with vitamins. It is a known antioxidant. For centuries Rhubarb has been used in Chinese medicine for the treatment of digestive issues and hyperlipidemia. While we are most familiar with the sweet applications of rhubarb in pies, crisps, jams, and so on, in Middle Eastern cuisine, rhubarb is often used as a tart counterpoint in rich dishes like lamb stew. We are lucky to live in rural Ontario because just about everyone knows someone with a rhubarb patch. And, since rhubarb will produce from early spring until late fall if regularly pulled and seed pods removed, this means we can easily access free or very inexpensive food. This year in particular, we should be sharing this bounty and thinking creatively about its immediate use and preservation for next winter through drying, freezing or canning.

Three ways to expand your rhubarb repertoire include roasting, juice and jelly making:

Roasted Rhubarb:
A 25 minute roast (350 degrees) of rhubarb tossed with sugar, cornstarch, and a touch of liquid (juice or water) produces a jammy-like accompaniment to ice cream, a pound cake or to oatmeal. It freezes well.

Rhubarb Juice:
A fantastic refreshing drink. Add sparkling water (or spike it if you like), a snip of mint and some ice. The juice freezes well or can be preserved. The chopped rhubarb is cooked briefly in water and then put into a dampened jelly bag, cheese cloth lines sieve. Let the juices drip naturally for at least two hours. You can sweeten the juice with simple syrup, honey or stevia. The beautiful pink juice is perfect for spring and summer.

Rhubarb Jelly:
If you’re extracting rhubarb juice, why not transform it into a beautiful, tasty jelly that is wonderful on toast, as an accompaniment to cheese or as a glaze for meats or tarts. Pictured here are gifts made for wedding guests.

As spring approaches, rethink your relationship with rhubarb. It is healthy, abundant, and extremely versatile. For recipe details, contact me at: martha@thevalleypreservery.ca