There is nothing quite like a dish made of vegetables that are at their very best. Rediscover a seasonal vegetable each month with Clearspring's new feature.
On this page:
> July: Courgette
> [1]June: Asparagus
[2]> May: Cauliflower [1] [3]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
July: Courgette
Facts:
The origin of the courgette or zucchini - as it is known in America and Australia – is not entirely clear. Although it is a member of the squash family - which originates in the Americas, it has been suggested that the courgette actually developed in Europe in the late 19th century as a natural mutation of the squash. It was embraced by the Italians, who even eat the flowers, and the French, who came up with such classic dishes as ratatouille, but didn’t gain popularity in the UK until the late 1950s when the food writer Elizabeth David championed it. As well as being a tasty and versatile cooking ingredient, the courgette is low in calories, high in vitamin A and C and contains folate (folic acid), plenty of water and potassium – which is good for your kidneys. It’s great with pasta so why not try adding it to our creamy dairy-free sauce to make Pasta Primavera.
[4]
Recipes:
For a fresh and tasty salad, Clearspring recommend courgette ribbons with lemon dressing: Cut the courgette into long thin strips and arrange on a plate, squeeze lemon juice over the top and drizzle with Clearspring Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. [2] [5] Add a twist of pepper and a sprinkling of Clearspring Traditional Sea Salt. [3] [6] Courgettes and their flowers are also a perfect tempura ingredient - click here [4] [7] for our recipe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
June: Asparagus
Facts:
Asparagus has been used both in cooking and for medicinal purposes for an extremely long time, and a recipe for cooking it actually appears in the oldest surviving cookery book known to man, Apicius’s third century AD ‘De Re Coquinaria’, Book III. Asparagus is a healthy vegetable which contains no fat or cholesterol and very few calories, but is a great supply of folic acid, dietary fibre, potassium and rutin, and has the legendary effect of improving the aroma of one’s urine, as noted by Marcel Proust. It even has an amino acid named after it, asparagine, which is found in rich quantities in the vegetable. Asparagus grows in maritime habitats and other saline environments, and the top three exporters worldwide are Peru, China and Mexico.
Recipes:
Fresh asparagus is delicious boiled or steamed and then served with a whole variety of dips and dressings. It is perfect combined with Creamy Dill and Miso Dip [5] [8]. On a summer’s day, chilled asparagus soup is deliciously refreshing, and it also tastes great stir-fried and tossed into a cold salad of tomatoes and baby spinach leaves. For an unusual twist, try garnishing with pomegranate seeds or honey.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
May: Cauliflower
Facts:
The cauliflower is not generally thought of as a quintessential spring vegetable, but it is in fact at its best in May. A type of brassica, along with leafy greens such as cabbage, kale and broccoli, its name actually originates from ‘cole flower’, with ‘cole’ and ‘kale’ being variations of the same word. Low in fat and calories, but high in fibre, folic acid and vitamin C, it is a nutritionally ideal vegetable. The cauliflower and the warming classic 'cauliflower cheese' are traditional British products, but sadly, British cauliflower farmers are currently struggling to make a living due to an unwillingness on the parts of supermarkets to give them a proper price, which has led to the birth of the Save the Cauliflower campaign [6] [9].
Recipes:
Clearspring's top recommendation is cauliflower with white miso vinaigrette. Cook and then allow to cool before pouring on mellow miso dressing [7] [10] for a healthy, dairy-free and delicious salad. Alteratively, try adding into salads or other vegetable dishes, either raw or after frying in sesame [11] oil with sesame, pumpkin or other seeds. Alternatively, mix into curries with coconut milk and cashew nuts, or try cooking with saffron to give it a really sunny feel.