Spring and summer greens
Brassica oleracea var. ramosa
Beautifully sweet and tender greens. They need only the briefest cooking: blanch, fry or steam and dress in anything from a simple touch of butter to garlic and soy sauce. They will also add a welcome flash of green to risottos and stir-fries.
In the kitchen
How to store Spring and summer greens
Dark and loosely packed, these leaves don’t have the shelf life of a more tightly formed head of cabbage. Store in the fridge in its bag, and eat sooner rather than later. Will keep well for 3-4 days.
Prep & Cooking tips
You’ll only need to strip the leaves away from the larger stalks. The smaller central leaves can be sliced and cooked, stalks and all. The best way to chop the leaves is to lay them on top of one another and roll them into a tight cigar shape, then shred them, widthways, thickly or thinly depending on the daintiness of your dish. Wash them well before using.
They are best finely shredded and then gently fried in a little butter or oil. It will only take a matter of mins for them to wilt and become tender. They boil or steam in next to no time or can be stirred into any number of soups, stews and curries for the last few minutes.
Watch our Veg Hack video below where chef Kirsty shows us two recipes for cooking spring green rolls; a Mediterranean inspired spring green bulghur and feta roll, and a second recipe using the smaller leaves as a stuffing for spring green and sesame rolls.
Easy ideas
1. Simple
Things needn’t always be complicated. These greens are often at their best simply steamed, boiled or lightly wilted in a pan. A few mins is all you need; cook it for too long and, as with most brassicas, you’ll start to release more pungent flavours. Season with a little salt and pepper. If you feel the need then add a little butter or olive oil and maybe a restrained squeeze of lemon to finish.
2. A pinch of this and that
As a side dish it can be a real cultural chameleon. Fry gently with a little desiccated coconut and black onion seed to set alongside a curry. Sauté in a hot wok with ginger, chilli and soy for all things Asian. Some crispy bacon and fragrant caraway invite a union with something dark and winey. A swirl of wholegrain mustard for a spontaneous Sunday side.
3. The finishing touch
Very finely shredded, these greens make a fresh and healthy finish to a robust soup or stew. A minestrone or ribollita, heavy with tomatoes and beans, would be ideal. The Portuguese caldo verde is simply stock, potatoes, chorizo and handfuls of sliced greens to finish. Even a deep savoury bowl of miso will be enriched with a tangle of noodle-thin greens. 4 mins should be fine on a gentle simmer, serve immediately.
Goes well with
Alliums (Garlic, Leek, Onion)
Asian spices and flavourings
Butter
Cheese
Fish and shellfish
Lemon
Lentils
Mustard
Nuts and seeds
Pork
Spring and summer greens recipes
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Summer greens with coconut and nigella seeds
Serves: 2 Total time: 10 min
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Spring or summer greens rice rolls
Serves: 8 Total time: 1h 20 min
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Spring green and coconut dal
Serves: 2 Total time: 55 min
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Rhubarb & ginger glazed chicken with spiced roasted potatoes & greens
Serves: 2 Total time: 1h 10 min
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Spring greens with wet and wild garlic
Serves: 4 Total time: 15 min
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Quick and simple tasty chard
Serves: 6 Total time: 10 min
In the field
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Meet the grower: Riverford on Wash Farm , Buckfastleigh, Devon
Riverford founder Guy Singh-Watson started the business at Wash Farm in South Devon in 1987, and we’ve been growing organic veg at Wash ever since.
UK seasonality
Spring greens are sown in July and August and harvest from January to April. Summer greens are harvested in June.Spring and summer greens varieties
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Spring greens
Winter-hardy cabbages sown in July and August, ready for harvest during the first quarter of the year when other green veg is scarce. They bring youthful freshness at a time when plates feel in need of a lift after winter.
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Summer greens
Arriving later in the year, beautifully sweet and tender, they like a shorter cooking time. You should only need to remove the toughest of the stalks.
