Dreaming of Spring & Summer at Get Cooking

Now that the days are promising to get a little longer, lighter & milder, we can all dare to think about spring and possible things to grow for our summer feasts. I absolutely really loved nurturing my vegetable plot last year with its mangetout peas (with beautiful flowers too), rainbow coloured Swiss chard, dark rich Tuscan kale, black, red & yellow tomatoes, purple rocket and bright green peas. All growing alongside a herb garden of thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, chives and oregano. So easy to grow and  how nice it looked! If you have never done this before I totally recommend it, great for 'me time' and personal wellbeing!

It's too early to plant, or even seed out, indoors, however you can plan & design, and buy your seeds. You can also get your soil ready - adding rotted down manure & compost. Don't bother with digging - much better to let the worms do it for you.

The good thing about things like chard, spinach & kale is they require only minimal cooking. I usually wash and steam them or even fry them in a splash of water and drizzle of oil for just minutes and throw them into a frittata with some herbs of your choice. Peas are great in simple pasta dishes (feta, mint & peas is lovely), or even risotto, or even paella - if you feel like being more adventurous! Make a quick vinaigrette of olive oil, balsamic vinegar & dijon mustard and serve up your tomatoes & / or rocket for an all summer feast.......