April
April usually means spring is officially here. We’re starting to switch from stews and slow cooker meals to something more refreshing and zestier. We have an abundance of seasonal produce that’s ripe, affordable and delicious.
Asparagus, basil, broccoli, chives, dill, jersey royal new potatoes, lettuce & salad leaves, new potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli, radishes, rhubarb, rocket, samphire, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, watercress, wild nettles, wild garlic.
To freeze radishes scrub them in cold water, cut or grate into smaller pieces, blanch in boiling water for 2-3 mins then transfer to an ice bath. Drain well and place in a bag or airtight container (remove as much air as possible).
Radishes are great to eat raw, with cottage cheese, basted in butter in a pan or roasted in the oven.
Leftover radishes? Check out these fabulous Food Savvy recipes for Kimchi or Fattoush Salad.
Radishes
To store radishes, trim their roots and leaves, then place them in a plastic bag or wrap them in a damp paper towel and store them in the fridge, where they can last up to two weeks.
You can freeze Radishes! But once defrosted they will have a different texture than fresh radishes.
Spring Onions
To keep them fresh store your spring onions in the fridge. Trim the roots and wrap the white parts in some damp kitchen paper or a clean cloth. Put them in a sealed plastic bag and keep in the vegetable drawer of your fridge.
Spring onions are fine to freeze. While their texture might change slightly after freezing, they are best used in cooked dishes like soups, stews, and sauces where their flavour will still shine through.
Spring onions are rich in vitamin A, C and K. If you have more than you need try using them in these veggie-friendly sausage rolls or in our delicious egg fried rice.
Spring onions are great, stir-fry’s, charred with a dressing or as accompaniment to fish, omelettes, salads or rice.
You can freeze watercress, but it should be cooked after thawing because the texture changes. Freezing can soften the leaves, so if you’re planning to use it in a hot dish, skip the thawing process and put it straight in.
You can put watercress in salads, soups, sandwiches, and more. You can also use it dressings and sauces.
Watercress
Watercress is a great vegetable but often gets wasted as it doesn’t last too long. It can be stored in the fridge, pop it in a plastic bag and eat it within a couple of days.
Watercress grows in water! Another way to keep it fresh is to put a bunch in a glass of water and place in the fridge.
