Like our friend Popeye will tell you, spinach is a nutritional powerhouse, providing more nutrition, calorie for calorie, than any other food. 1 cup of cooked spinach offers over 1000% of our daily required intake of Vitamin K and 377% of our required Vitamin A. It's also high in manganese, folate, magnesium, iron and Vitamin C. Spinach may contribute to heart health, better eyesight, better brain function from the high levels of Vitamin E, and better gastrointestinal function. It's also got anti-inflammatory properties. Cooked spinach also provides energy, mostly in the form of iron.

Thought to have originated in Persia, spinach made its way to China via traders (roughly around 650 AD) where it came to be known as the "Persian vegetable". Spinach was introduced to Italy and the Mediterranean in the 800s and from Spain made its way to Northern Europe. Catherine de'Medici was so enamoured of spinach that during her reign as Queen of France, she insisted it be served at every meal. Named after her hometown of Florence, to this day, dishes that feature spinach are typically called Florentine.

Spinach makes the list of the top 1o vegetables most likely to have come in contact with pesticides, so it's not bad idea to search out organic products if they're available. However, even organics are subject to contamination, as was demonstrated in 2006 and 2007 when products that had come into contact with e:coli and salmonella respectively made it to grocery store shelves. Since spinach is one of the few vegetables that are nutritionally better cooked than raw, consumers should consider eating it cooked whenever possible, and always wash it well.

Sold raw (in bunches or bags), frozen or canned, spinach is available throughout the year. It loses its nutrients quite quickly however, so canned or frozen is often a better option than stuff that has been sitting on store shelves (or in your fridge) for days.

When purchasing fresh spinach look for deep green leaves with no signs of yellowing or decay. Spinach needs to be washed well as it is grown in sandy soil, but do not wash it ahead of time as the extra moisture will cause it to spoil.

Spinach Empanadas with Tomato and Sweet Pepper Salsa
Empanadas de espinaca, piñolas, queso fresco y con salsa criolla
from Chef Carlos Fuenmayor, Executive Chef, Sabrosito

Makes 18 empanadas

Dough
3 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
1/4 cup cold water
1 egg
6 oz butter [diced and very cold]
Pinch of salt

In a bowl, beat the water and egg together. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt and add the butter, working the butter with you hands till become like a corn meal texture.

Add the egg and water mixture and turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.

Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to make the empanadas take the dough out of the fridge and cut it in half. Keep one half in the fridge and roll out the other half on a floured surface to about the thickness of fresh fettucini and cut the dough into 3-inch circles.

Filling
2 cups spinach, blanched and squeezed of all moisture
1/4 cup caramelized onions
1/4 roasted pine nuts
3 oz diced queso fresco
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and set aside.

Add 1-1/2 tbsp of filling, seal firmly with fingers or a fork.

Brush them with an egg and water mixture and bake at 325°F for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Salsa
1 large red sweet pepper cut into a 1/4-inch dice
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 Serrano chili, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup fresh coriander or Italian parsley
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients and season. Cover and set aside so that the flavours can marry, about 1 hour. Best served room temperature.

Stewed Spinach with Peanut Sauce
From Kwanza Cookbook by Eric V. Copage (William Morrow and Co) via About.com

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1-1/2 cups vegetable consomme
1/2 cup unsalted sugar-free peanut butter
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 pounds spinach, well washed, stems removed, and coarsely chopped

Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or soup kettle. Add the onions and bell pepper, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the consomme and bring to a boil. Stir in the peanut butter, vinegar, salt, and cayenne. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often, just until the spinach has wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Or more importantly, that there are a few seasonal items, such as melon, that you just don't cook with all that much. Think about it - chilled soup, salsa, a few cocktails, fruit salad... maybe some cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto. Whoops.

So what I have for you today is two different recipes for watermelon gazpacho, both from fabulous local chefs, and (thankfully) different enough that you can pick which one you'd prefer to make based on the other ingredients. Or make them both and do a taste test.

Melons are members of the cucurbitaceae, and are closely related to squash. There are many varieties of melon including various types of watermelon, muskmelons, bitter melon and even papaya. Bitter melon and winter melons are typically used in savoury dishes and are typical to Asian cuisines.

Different melons have different origins, with watermelon being thought to have originated in Africa, while muskmelons are native to Persia. Both types of melon have been cultivated over the years with varieties that include yellow-fleshed fruit or seedless varieties for watermelon (over 1200 varieties in all) and a range of flavour intensity for the muskmelon family that includes cantaloupes, honeydews, Santa Claus melons and the much sought after Charentais melon which is the one most traditionally served with prosciutto.

Most melons are high in both Vitamins A and C and get bonus points for anti-oxidants and fibre. The watermelon is also known for high quantities of lycopene which may aid in the prevention of various types of cancers.

When purchasing melons, look for ones that are heavy for their size. With watermelons, look for an area of a lighter colour and sometimes a rougher texture - this is where the melon has been lying on its side. Otherwise look for smooth, even skin. For members of the muskmelon family, look for unblemished skin and a creamy colour, as well as a sweet melon smell. Note that some varieties of musk melon have a distinct "musky" smell - get to know  your melon varieties and talk to the farmer selling them about what you're looking for in terms of sweetness and flavour.

When preparing melon, always wash the exterior as even organic melons may have come in contact with pesticides or manure. Many of the nutrients in melons, watermelons in particular, are in the area nearest to the skin (this is the white part on a watermelon) so don't be afraid to eat it all. And of course, pickled watermelon rinds are a delicacy in many parts of the Southern US.

Watermelon Gazpacho
from Jason Bangerter, Executive Chef, Oliver & Bonacini

This soup can also be enjoyed as mix for a refreshing summer cocktail.

4 cups watermelon seeded and; diced
2 cups vine ripe or Heirloom tomatoes diced
1/2 cup red bell peppers diced
1 celery stick peeled and sliced
1 shallot sliced
1 tsp. fresh minced ginger
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1-1/2 limes, juiced
6 leaves of mint, chopped
8 leaves of basil, chopped
12 leaves of coriander, chopped
Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste

In a pan (low heat) sweat shallot, ginger and celery until tender and translucent.

Remove from heat and add herbs and liquid ingredients to infuse flavours.

Toss all remaining ingredients in a food processor with flavoured liquid. Blend smooth.

Strain the soup using a fine sieve and chill.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and, if you want a little zip to the soup, Tabasco (green).

Be sure to serve this soup chilled. Garnish each serving with a teaspoon of roasted black pepper yogurt or poached seafood salad and a few drops extra virgin olive oil.

Peppered Watermelon Gazpacho
from Chef Karen Viva Haynes, Viva Tastings & 6 Degrees

A great balance of savoury, spicy and sweet that is the perfect summer heat antidote. We serve them frozen as tiny popsicles at garden parties.

Serves 6 for a first course OR serves 18 as an hors d'oeuvre served in a shot glass.
NOTE: Chilling makes flavours less pronounced, so make sure to adjust the vinegar and salt for balance before serving.

1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1 medium red onion
1 granny smith apple, cored
4 green onions
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro OR parsley
3 lb of fresh ripe seedless watermelon
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chunk the peppers, red onion, and apple and set aside in separate piles. Chop the green onion and cilantro fine and set aside.

Using a food processor, pulse the peppers, red and green onion and cilantro and coarsely chop them into small bits, but do note purée. Pour mixture into large bowl.

Process apple into small bits and add to vegetables.

Trim the rind from the watermelon and chunk the flesh.

Process flesh in batches until pureed, empty each batch into bowl of vegetables.

Stir in lemon juice, balsamic and olive oil. Add salt and freshly growing black pepper to taste.

Chill before serving and correct the seasoning as per the note.

Maize, as corn is properly known (the term "corn" is an English word for any cereal crop), is native to the Americas where it has been used for some 12,000 years. Maize made its way to the eastern seaboard and Canada somewhere around 1000 AD. Native Americans planted corn alongside beans and squash, a system known as the Three Sisters, as the plants were all complimentary, providing shade, nutrients and support in a system that provided optimum growth potential.

Modern farming methods called for corn to be planted as a single crop, which has led to a variety of problems with pests, weeds and soil erosion. Farmers attempt to deal with these issues by using chemical pesticides or resorting to genetically-modified seeds, and over 80% of the corn grown in the US is now genetically-modified.

The United States remains the world's top corn producer with an annual output of about 332,000,000 tons. China is in second place with about half that amount. The majority of corn is produced for industrial use - either to be processed into things like ethanol or high fructose corn syrup, or to be used for animal feed. "Cow corn" as it is also known is usually tougher and more fibrous, while sweet corn intended for human consumption has become increasingly sweeter.

In cooking, corn is used in a variety of ways, either straight off the cob, ground into cornmeal where it can become everything from polenta to tamales to bread or tortilla chips. The kernels can be fermented to create a type of alcohol called chicha, which is popular in Peru. And let's not forget popcorn. In its more processed forms, corn shows up in the form of cooking oil, cornstarch, corn syrup, processed foods such as corn flakes or other carb-based foods such as crackers. It also shows up in alcoholic products such as bourbon and lower-quality mainstream beers.

Lesser known but very interesting is huitlacoche (or "corn smut"), a fungus that occurs when the ears of corn get too much moisture. These blue-black spores are often compared to mushrooms and are considered a delicacy in Latin America, where they're added to enchiladas, tacos or polenta. A few Latin restaurants here in Toronto serve it occasionally when local farmers find it in their crops, but for the most part the only way to get it in Canada is in cans.

When buying corn, you want to buy it as fresh as possible. Most varieties of corn available for human consumption today are all about the sweetness and sugar (I find many of these too sweet, to tell the truth), which allows them to sit on store shelves for longer without losing too much flavour, but for the most part, your best corn is going to come from a farmer who has picked in within the past 24 hours. Look for silks that are still moist; dried, browning silks are a sign that the corn has been sitting around. Husks should be bright and firm, not dry and browning. Peel back some of the husks and check the cob for colour, evenness and bugs or blight, but do not, under any circumstances, shuck the corn at the market or in the store. (And don't you dare buy those pre-shucked cobs of corn in the styrofoam and plastic wrap from the supermarket. You might as well eat the styrofoam tray!)

As mentioned above, sweet corn will last a few days in the fridge without too much hardship, but wait to shuck the ears until you've got the pot of boiling water on the stove. Here's how to cook that corn.

Once you've got your corn cooked to your preference, it can be eaten off the cob, or the kernels can be removed and cooked in other ways. I freeze corn in bags to add to soups, stews, salads and chili throughout the winter.

Grilled Corn with Pecorino, Chilies and Oregano
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

6 ears of Ontario peaches and cream corn
1/4 cup of grated Pecorino
1/4 pound of butter
1 clove of garlic
1 Thai chili
1 bunch of fresh oregano
Salt

Makes enough for 6 people

You will need a grill, a sauce pot, small frying pan, cutting board, knife and a casserole dish.

Start by placing a pot of water on the stove big enough to hold the ears of corn. Salt the water and bring to a boil. Pre-heat the grill and clean the corn. Finley slice the garlic and in a small frying pan and using all the butter, gently cook the garlic. Place the corn in the boiling water and cook until tender. Remove the corn from the water and place on the grill. From time to time turn the corn to evenly to char the outside. Pour the garlic butter into the casserole dish. Take the corn from the grill and place into the casserole dish, turn the ears to evenly coat with the butter. Finely slice half of the chili and pick the leaves from the oregano. Season with salt, sprinkle over the pecorino, chilies and the oregano.

Corn Chowder
based on a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
This is my go-to corn chowder recipe and I make many variations of it. By adding some crab meat, chopped sweet peppers, black beans or some crumbled spicy sausage, it changes every time but it's always fresh and flavourful.

6 ears of fresh corn or 3 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1 cup cubed, peeled potato (1 medium)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 cups milk

If using fresh corn, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs (you should have about 3 cups corn). Set corn aside.

In a large saucepan cook onion in hot oil until onion is tender but not brown. Stir in chicken broth, potato, and corn. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl combine flour, salt, and pepper. Stir milk into flour mixture; add to corn mixture in saucepan. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Here in the city, we're lucky enough to have any number of markets where both wild and tame blueberries are available for a reasonable price. But for me, blueberries have the ability to make me really cranky. As a kid we'd trek off into the woods in the suburb of Halifax where I grew up, and fill huge buckets and jugs with the things to make pies and muffins and the famous Acadian blueberry grunt. Covered in mosquito bites, backs aching from bending over the low bushes and that awful feeling in the pit of the stomach caused by worrying that, at any moment, you'd come face to face with a hungry bear, picking was never really considered fun. We'd try anything we could to get out of going blueberry picking, but ultimately, at the first slice of Mom's pie, it was all worth it.

Blueberries are native to North America and related to cranberries and bilberries. While there are a number of varieties, most are separated into either low bush or high bush types, the first being wild berries, mostly picked by hand, while high bush berries are larger, able to be harvested by machine and in a taste comparison are considered more bland than their wild cousins.

In Canada, blueberry growing regions include British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is the biggest producer of wild blueberries in North America and the Atlantic provinces together produce more than half of the annual output of North America. Terroirists will note that blueberries, like grapes, vary in flavour based on where they are grown, with the distinct soil and growing conditions of the Atlantic provinces making for a unique flavour that is highly prized.

While there is still much research to do with regards to anti-oxidants and their health benefits, blueberries are a nutritional powerhouse. They are very high in Vitamin C, manganese and fibre. Blueberries are full of antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, which are thought to improve the vascular system, enhance the effects of vitamin C, improve capillary integrity, and improve body tissues.

When purchasing blueberries, look for berries that are bright and round, and that move freely when the container is shaken (mushy or rotten berries will stick together). Blueberries can be stored in the fridge in a covered container. Wash only before eating as berries will retain moisture and get mushy. Blueberries freeze well (spread on a baking sheet in the freezer to ensure they don't freeze in a big clump) and making the effort to get local berries and freeze them is definitely a more rewarding experience than buying blueberries from China in the middle of January because you're desperate for blueberry pancakes.

CAVA Wild Blueberry Clafouti with Lemon Ice Cream
from Chris MacDonald, Executive Chef, CAVA

Serves 4 to 6

1 cup frozen wild blueberries (thawed and patted dry)
250g (8oz) quark
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp whipping cream
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
Icing sugar
Lemon ice cream

Preparation: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)

Butter and sugar 4 to 6 individual ramekins. Line with a single layer of wild blueberries.

With a mixer or in a food processor or blender, combine quark, icing sugar, cornstarch, whipping cream, lemon juice, lemon peel and egg yolks.

Whip egg whites until light and gently fold into cheese mixture. Spread soufflé mixture over the berries.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until puffed, browned and set. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with a scoop of lemon ice cream.

Blueberry Grunt
This is an old Acadian dish that everyone in the Maritimes eats during blueberry season. Don't try to fancy it up with spices or lemon - if you've got good wild blueberries, you'll want that flavour to be the star. Also - it's an ugly dish. Nevermind that. It tastes wonderful.

4 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 – 1/2 cup milk

In a large saucepan, combine blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar and water. Cover and bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently until there is plenty of juice.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and cut in butter with a pastry blender. Add just enough milk to make a soft biscuit dough. Drop by tablespoons on top of hot sauce. Cover immediately and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes without removing the lid. Serve with whipped cream, yogurt or ice cream.

Curcubita pepo is a member of the melon family, with distant relations to the cucumber. Squash originated in the Americas and was introduced to Europe by Columbus. The zucchini that we know today is a variety of squash that was developed in Italy. While there are a variety of different shapes and sizes of summer squash (ranging in shape from the spaceship-looking patty pan to round fruit the size of billiard balls), they can all be treated as one would a zucchini for cooking purposes.

While it's tempting for home gardeners to let their zucchini grow huge (and they will get massive if you let them), the squash actually taste and cook best when picked at 20cm in length or less. Overly-mature fruit can be both fibrous and watery.

The zucchini lends itself to a variety of cuisines. In France, the courgette is a principal ingredient in ratatouille. It shows up in Thai and Vietnamese recipes, and diners in Japanese restaurants can expect to see the fruit deep-fried in tempura. Many cultures especially value the bright yellow flowers attached to the fresh fruit, and these can be stuffed and fried, or used as filling for dishes like Mexican quesadilla. And let's not forget that the zucchini bakes up nicely as well, either stuffed with meat and cheese or in a loaf or muffins - the last resort of the home gardener with a lot of summer squash to use up.

Nutritionally, the zucchini's best point is that it is low in calories, although frying is likely to negate that benefit. Zucchinis contain useful amounts of folate and Vitamin A, and a decent amount of Vitamin C.

When buying zucchini or other summer squash, look for fruit that are unblemished and heavy for their size. Darker-skinned fruit have more nutrients than lighter fruit, so unless you're choosing the fruit for their colour for a certain dish, green ones are better nutritionally than yellow.

Chilled Summer Squash Soup with Basil
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

Extra virgin olive oil
1-1/4 pounds yellow squash, cubed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp of ground fennel
2-1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1-3/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Makes 5 to 6 servings

You will need a cutting board, paring knife, medium sauce pot, wooden spoon, and a blender.

Place the olive oil into the pot and over medium heat cook the fennel powder 1 minute or until toasted. Add the squash and onions and cook until translucent. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool until room temperature. Place squash mixture in a blender and add the basil process until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl; cover and chill. Stir in the buttermilk and salt. Garnish with fresh torn basil and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Zucchini Brownies
This recipe from allrecipes.com is dedicated to the home gardeners with too many zucchini. Covering them with chocolate is never a bad plan.

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Over the years, I've heard a lot of excuses as to why people don't make the effort to shop at farmers' markets, with the most oft-heard one being that there just isn't anything accessible and easy to get to. This has changed considerably in the past couple of years, and downtown Toronto now has over 20 separate markets, with at least one market taking place every day of the week during the summer and early autumn.

Which begs the question – have we hit a saturation point? Are markets the new Starbucks with two on every corner?

On Thursdays in the downtown core, there are now three separate markets within walking distance of each other. The market at Metro Hall is the most established of these, with a selection of vendors who are predominantly farmers. There are many vendors selling the same in-season produce, but this tends to create a healthy competition that keeps prices reasonable. During the lunch hour, there are live performances, and half a dozen food vendors along the south end of the square selling everything from Caribbean food to crepes to peameal bacon on a kaiser.

Competition comes in the form of a new market at Bay and Adelaide set up by the folks responsible for the market held on Saturdays at the Evergreen Brick Works. Given the Brick Works' difficult-to-access location (there is a shuttle bus for the market, but the easiest way to get there is still by car), it makes sense to bring those vendors to a more accessible and TTC-friendly location during the week, and the products there, like at the Saturday Brick Works market, lean more to prepared and artisanal food items. There are a few farmers with fresh produce, but there are also cupcakes, sandwiches, fresh fish, baking mixes, and a lot of prepared food. This isn't a bad thing – the office lunch crowd is always looking for something new, and if they can pick up some tomatoes in the process, all the better.

The final Thursday market is a wee little display of 3 vendors in the courtyard at Brookfield Place. Consisting of 1 farmer, 1 booth selling bread and sausages (and what an awesome variety of sausages there is!), and one booth with a weird selection of local and imported goods that appear to be straight from the food terminal (local blueberries and veg, plus lemons, mangoes, figs and California strawberries). Still, it's better than nothing, and if you need lemons, it's more convenient than heading to the supermarket.

But is it too much? The crowds were overflowing at lunchtime at Metro Hall last Thursday, and Cheese of Canada vendor Gurth Pretty told me that he hadn't noticed a drop in customers. He rightly pointed out that in the downtown core, folks on a lunch break are likely to visit a market only if it's within a 5 minute walk. So just as regular customers of the Wednesday market at Nathan Phillips Square probably don't have time to wander down to Metro Hall on Thursday, it's unlikely that the shoppers in the Bay-Adelaide area will bypass the Evergreen market to walk to Metro Hall – or vice versa.

This isn't totally the case however. After the MyMarket farmers market started running on Tuesdays at Sick Kids Hospital a few years ago, vendors at Nathan Phillips Square noticed a significant decrease in sales. Office workers from the Dundas and University area who previously would walk down to city hall no longer had to do so, switching their patronage to the new market a block or so north and a day earlier.

Ideally, everyone in downtown would have access to a farmers market at some point during the week. But there are still pockets that are under-served. The market at Sick Kids would make much more sense a few blocks north at Queen's Park, if only because we're more than overdue to have a farmers' market on the lawn of the legislature. And I've seen a number of people suggest a market somewhere in the vicinity of Union Station to catch the commuter crowd on their way home from work.

I've also seen market organizers complain that Toronto is at such a saturation point that there just aren't enough farmers to fill the markets and make them worthwhile. By the same token, many markets are not showing a lot of profit for the farmers who vend at them. The attendance figures for the St. Andrew's MyMarket that ran last year were pretty dismal, at least partially due to the fact that it was held on Saturday mornings, when three large "destination" markets (St. Lawrence, Wychwood and Brick Works) were also taking place. And the MyMarket at Liberty Village on Sunday mornings is also suffering from poor attendance with a couple of vendors pulling out this year due to poor sales.

And let's not discount timing. I've heard from so many people who say they'd love to check out the dinnertime markets at Trinity-Bellwoods, Sorauren Park or Dufferin Grove, but the 3-7pm time frame is just too inconvenient for them. There's not enough time for them to get home from work and back out to the market before it closes. Even extending these markets until 8pm would make a significant difference in accessibility for many potential customers.

Pretty points out one other irony in the whole situation. While we're over-saturated with market options during the summer months, come November, and through the winter, there's nothing. St. Lawrence is still running and Wychwood moves indoors, but Toronto's got very few year-round markets even though there are still producers making bread and cheese and pickles, and farmers who still have eggs and meat and root vegetables and fruit such as apples. Pretty initiated a monthly indoor market in the CBC atrium last winter, featuring many vendors from the Metro Hall market plus some food artisans such as ChocolSol and Evelyn's Crackers, and it was a great success.

Sometimes, though, it's all about finding a space to do it in. At the end of the first year of the Liberty MyMarket many of the vendors there were in search of an indoor space they could use to set up a Sunday morning market for the winter, but none could be found in the Parkdale Liberty neighbourhood.

We need to ensure that our farmers are making money by coming to market; that they're not overly burdened by too many rules and regulations, and that they can send family members or staff to vend while they're doing the very important job of tending their crops and growing our food. We also need to ensure that every market has a big enough customer base to make it viable and that we're not over-saturating any one area with more markets than it can handle, especially when there are pockets of the city going without.

There also needs to be more work done on promoting the many markets in Toronto so that people know they're there. And keeping the markets open during times when people can actually get to them is vital.

Ultimately, we all need to thank our lucky stars for the options that we have. Living in the middle of one of the most fertile areas of the world and having so many wonderful farmers and products and food artisans to choose from is a great gift. Don't for a second think that any of this is complaining! But it's also important to look for ways to make things better, for farmers and for customers.

For a full list of all the markets in the city, please check out our Markets page. And then go visit one... or many!

Like our friend the plum from last week, the apricot is from the family Prunus. Originally thought to originate in China from as far back as 3000 BC, the apricot came to the Western world via Armenia. Apricots are now cultivated in all parts of the world, but are still an extremely important crop in the Middle East, particularly Iran where dried apricots have been an important commodity for centuries. Check the packaging on dried apricots you purchase in the supermarket - they likely come from Iran or Turkey.

Apricots are high in beta-carotene as well as Vitamin A. They are high in fibre and the dried version of the fruit is considered a good treatment for constipation. High in the anti-oxidant caretenoid,  apricots may help lower bad cholesterol and protect against cancer. The kernal or pit of the apricot also has many uses; dried and ground, it becomes the basis for the Italian amaretti cookie, and apricot kernal oil is the main ingredient in the liqueur Disaronno Amaretto. Apricot kernal was also once incorrectly thought to cure certain types of cancer, but because it contains toxic levels of cyanide, it was not considered an effective treatment for that disease.

When purchasing apricots, look for fruits that are a rich orange colour and that are slightly soft to the touch. If eating apricots for their health benefits, note that the riper the fruit the higher the level of anti-oxidants.

Grilled Apricots with Honey and Thyme
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

6 almost ripe Ontario apricots
Extra virgin olive oil
Some good quality honey
2 sprigs of thyme

Makes enough for a garnish for 3 to 4 people.

Start by pre-heating your grill to a pretty hot temperature.

Cut the apricots in half, removing the stone. Toss the apricots with a table spoon of the olive oil. Place the apricots on the grill cut side down. Roast until a light golden brown and they are giving up some of their juices. Turn over and cook for about a minute. Remove from the grill and place back in the mixing bowl. Drizzle with the honey. Remove the leaves of thyme from the sprig and sprinkle over the apricots. Toss to coat. This is a simple preparation that can work in many ways. It’s great as a side to grilled meats like chicken or pork. Great on top of a bowl of really good vanilla ice cream or tossed in a salad.

Apricots in Syrup
by Bridgitte Hafner, Cuisine.com.au
Like I did with the stewed cherries a few weeks back, my plan is to cook and preserve various fruits throughout the season. (Especially because, with no canneries in Ontario anymore, canned fruit in winter is all imported.) I bought a huge bag of apricots this week and made this recipe yesterday. It's awesome!

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 a vanilla bean, split along the side
6 cardamom pods, cracked open
1 tsp orange blossom water
10-12 apricots
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Bring the water and sugar to the boil and add the split vanilla bean and cardamom pods. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes to get the flavours happening.

Add the orange blossom water and apricots and cook a few minutes until you see they have softened. This will depend on the ripeness of the apricots. If they are very ripe, you will only need to cook them very briefly as they can go to mush quite quickly. (No matter, though, if they do, they will still taste delicious).

Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and cool a little before placing in the fridge to chill.

We're still in the family Prunus as we move from last week's cherries to this week's plums. Plums are eaten from Asia to Europe and are well known for their variety and flavour - from the first tart yellow plums to red, black and the purple varieties most popular in Italian cooking. Worldwide there are over 2000 varieties of the fruit with about 100 available in North America.

Plums are a versatile fruit; they can be made into jam or used in desserts, but can also be made into wine, pickled, dried and salted, or dried into prunes (although the black prunes available in stores are from a specific type of plum). They even work well on pizza with cheese and prosciutto in place of the traditional figs.

Considered one of the world's healthiest foods, plums are high in anti-oxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, fibre (prunes are a recommended treatment for constipation) and potassium.

To select plums, choose ones that are bright in colour, have a slight whitish "bloom" on the skin and that are firm or that yield slightly to pressure, depending on when you plan to eat them. Avoid plums that are hard are they may be immature.

Plums can be stored in the fridge if ripe, but bring the fruit to room temperature, especially if eating out of hand.

Plums are starting to show up at Toronto area farmer's markets, so enjoy them while they're here.

Oven Roasted Preserved Plums
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

1 pound of any red variety Ontario plums
1/2 bunch of thyme
2 tbsp of salt
4 tbsp of sugar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Start by turning on the oven to an extremely low setting. Around 200°F is perfect. This recipe can go two ways, savoury or sweet.

Cut the plums in half and remove the stone. Place the plums in the mixing bowl and pour the olive oil over them. If the plums are to be used for savoury purposes, pick the leaves from the thyme and place in the bowl along with the salt. Toss to evenly coat. If the plums are to be used for sweet purposes, omit the thyme and just toss the plums with the olive oil and the sugar.

Place the plums cut side up on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. The curing process takes a bit of time. At the one and half hour mark open the oven and turn the tray, cook for another two hours.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, the plums will hold up to a week in the refrigerator. They are great to eat just on their own but pair well on a cheese plate, with ice cream, beside a roasted piece of chicken or duck, or in a salad.

Plum Tart
I've been making this tart recipes for years. I'm pretty sure it's at least based on a recipe from a Chez Panisse cookbook, although I can't remember which one.

1 square of puff pastry (thawed if frozen)
5 - 6 ripe plums
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup slivered almonds
2 Tbsp butter
additional sugar for top (2 -4 Tbsp)

Preheat oven to 400′F.

Leaving skin on, slice plums and set aside. Roll out puff pastry to about 9 inches round. Place an 8-inch Springform pan on top of rolled pastry and trim to allow an extra inch of dough.

Place pastry in pan, pushing excess onto sides so it stays up. Mix flour and 2 Tbsp sugar along with cinnamon and sprinkle onto pastry. Sprinkle half the slivered almonds on top of flour and sugar mixture. Arrange slices of plums in a pretty pattern or dump onto pastry and spread out so they are mostly laying flat.

Cut butter into small pieces and distribute over the plums. Sprinkle sugar generously onto plums, along with remaining almond slivers. Bring pastry edges down over plum mixture and crimp or pleat tightly. Working in small sections, brush cold water onto pastry crust and sprinkle this with sugar as well.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until plum juices are bubbly and pastry is golden brown. Immediately remove sides from Springform pan and using a pastry brush, brush the juices bubbling up from around and under the fruit onto the plums to create a glaze and keep the fruit from drying out.

Using a palate knife or spatula, gently remove the tart from the Springform bottom (it may be stuck slightly at the edges because of the sugar and water that was added to the crust) and place on a rack to cool - this will keep the bottom from becoming soggy.

Most years, we're savouring the first cherries right around now, as they normally ripen locally by the end of June. But if you've been frequenting the farmers' markets, you've been eating cherries for weeks, since the sweet cherries, like most other seasonal produce, have come a full two weeks early.

The cherry is the fleshy stone fruit of the Prunus plant and comes in a range of sweet and sour varieties. There are over 1000 varieties of cherry but only about 10% of those are grown on a commercial scale. Most common are the sweet Bing, the sour Montmorency and the yellow-fleshed Rainier, although some Ontario farmers grow many more. If farmers' don't have their cherries labelled by variety at market, ask, because there are actually many varieties that are better tasting than those bland Bings.

The history of the cherry dates back to prehistoric times, and was introduced to England by Henry VIII. In North America, while wild cherries were native to the continent, the more traditional varieties we know were brought by French and English explorers and settlers. Prime cherry-growing regions include Southern Ontario, Michigan and British Columbia.

Cherries are often trotted out as one of the "superfruits" because of their high levels of anti-oxidants, with some websites claiming that sour cherry juice cures everything from gout to fibromyalgia and arthritis. I'm not sure I believe all the stories about the curative properties of cherries, after all, a lot more work needs to be done on anti-oxidants to determine how much good they really do and how much of any one item we need to eat to reap the benefits (Attention, Michigan cherry farmers and marketers - IP addresses are being logged - death threats for not believing in all the cherry hype will be forwarded to your local police department), but we can all still enjoy cherries because they taste great and are wonderfully versatile.

When purchasing fresh cherries, they should be unblemished and plump. sweet cherries should be dark and firm, while sour cherries will have more give and be lighter in colour. Avoid cherries with cuts, bruises or splits. Cherries can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days; wash just before eating. To freeze, pit the cherries and and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. The fruit can be preserved by freezing, drying or pickling and cherries preserved in vodka or rum is a popular holiday treat.

Besides the ubiquitous (and delicious) pie, cherries are great for sauces, ice cream, cakes and even added to salads.

Spicy Cherry Soup
My favourite thing to do with sweet cherries is to stew them and then freeze the cherry soup to enjoy in winter. This is an opportunity to use up any cherries that are slightly over-ripe or too soft to eat.

2 quarts of pitted sweet cherries
1 cup sugar
the zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cardamom

Place cherries in a heavy saucepan and just barely cover with cold water. Add sugar and bring to a boil.

When cherries are boiling, reduce to a simmer and add the cardamom, grated lemon zest, salt and the lemon juice to the pot.

Cook the cherries until tender but not mushy - this will only take about 5 minutes. Taste for flavour and adjust seasoning as necessary. Remove from heat and chill, or serve warm. Serve with dollops of whipped cream or vanilla yogurt. To freeze, split the soup into individual servings.

Tart Pickled Cherries in the French Style
From The Good Stuff Cookbook by Helen Witty (Workman Publishing)

1 pound ripe, firm, Bing, Lambert, or other sweet cherries (sour cherries may be substituted)
5 or 6 sprigs (each at lest 4 inches long) fresh tarragon
3/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fine, non-iodized salt

Sort the cherries, discarding any with soft spots or blemishes. Rinse and drain them. Clip the stems to 1/2 inch. Roll the cherries in a towel to remove all possible moisture.

Rinse the tarragon sprigs and pat them dry. Drop them into a dry, sterilized 1 quart canning jar. Add the cherries, which should not quite fill the jar.

Stir together in a saucepan the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat to simmering, stirring, until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Cool the liquid completely.

Pour the cooled liquid over the cherries, being sure to cover them completely. Remove any bubbles, adding more liquid if necessary. Leave about 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal the jar with a sterilized two-piece canning lid according to manufacturer's directions. Store cherries for at least a month before serving them.

I eat my peas with honey,
I've done it all my life,
It does taste kind of funny,
But it keeps them on my knife. - Anonymous

Most commonly found in mixed frozen vegetables, the humble pea is one of the most versatile vegetables out there. Eaten fresh, dried, frozen or canned, peas  can be used in soups, stews, pies, risotto or curries, or fried and served as a snack.

The pea is actually a fruit, but is considered a vegetable for cooking purposes. There are many varieties of peas from sweet peas to snow peas or sugar snap peas, with some growing as vines and others low-growing plants suited to field cultivation. In Ontario, peas are at their peak in June and July.

The use of peas dates back to the Middle Ages when they were part of the typical diet along with broad beans and lentils. Peas are eaten throughout the world from Asia and India to Europe and North America.

Peas are an excellent source of folacin (Vitamin B9). They are also a source of Vitamins A and C, fibre and potassium. A half cup of cooked peas is only 70 calories.

Sweet Pea Soup
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

1 pound of fresh shelling peas
1 pound of fresh chicken bones
1 medium white onion
1 stick of celery
1 medium carrot
1 clove of garlic
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh mint
2 tbsp of freshly grated Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt

Makes enough for 2 heaping bowls of soup

Start by rinsing the chicken bones under cold running water. Peel and chop the carrot and the white onion into a smallish dice. Peel the clove of garlic and crush with the back of a knife, cut the celery into smallish pieces as well. Place the cut vegetables in to the sauce pot with the chicken bones and the bay leaf. Cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer; skim any impurities that rise to the surface. Simmer for twenty minutes.

While the chicken stock is simmering peel the peas reserving the pods. Turn off the chicken stock and place the reserved pea pods in the stock steeping them for 5 minutes. Strain the chicken stock and return it to the sauce pot. Bring back to a simmer and toss in the peas. Cook for 1 minute and remove from the heat, season to taste. Ladle into bowls, shred some mint into each bowl and sprinkle with some of the grated cheese.

Green Pea Masala
from Chef Hubert DMello, Udupi Palace Toronto

400gm green peas
30ml oil
salt to taste
100gm onion
70gm tomato
3 chilli peppers
30gm ginger
2 flakes garlic
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 spoon turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
50gm cashew nut paste
coriander leaves for garnish
1 cup water or vegetable stock

Boil green peas until tender.

Chop the onions, tomatoes, green chillies and make a paste of ginger and garlic. Sauté the onion, tomato and green chilly with oil, then add ginger garlic paste. When the onions become brown add all the spices. Mix it well and add water or veg stock.

Salt to taste then add boiled green peas keep it on slow fire for 5 minutes, if necessary cashew nut paste, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Cava’s Chilled Pea Soup with Sea Scallop Ceviche
from Chef Chris MacDonald, Cava

Serves 8 as a first course.

Soup:
2.5 kg fresh peas, shelled, pods reserved
1 small onion, minced
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed, plus 2 tablespoons
Mint, leaves removed and stems reserved
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Sea Scallop Ceviche:
1/2 lb. sea scallops, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. minced red onion – soaked in ice water for 20 minutes and strained.
1 Tbsp. minced red pepper
1/2 Tbsp. minced jalapeño
1/2 cup lime juice
1 Tbsp of basil, preferably tropical (Thai), thinly julienned
Sea salt to taste

Prepare the pea stock: Place the pea pods in a saucepan. Cover with about 1.5 litres of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Then immediately lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover pot, leaving the pods in stock, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Strain stock, discarding pods. You should have 1 litre of liquid.

Sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons foamy butter until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook peas until tender, about 5 minutes. Strain peas and immediately place in an ice bath to preserve colour.

In batches, blend peas, with the onion and 3-4 fresh mint leaves, using the pea stock to obtain to a thin purée. Once all the peas have been processed, season with salt and pepper. Thin with additional stock if necessary, adding water if you have used up all the pea stock. Chill soup until time to serve.

Combine all the ceviche ingredients at least 30 minutes but not more than 2 hours before serving, refrigerated. Drain discarding liquid. Adjust salt if necessary.

Ladle soup into eight chilled soup bowls. Carefully garnish each bowl with the ceviche and serve.

We've all heard the old joke from The Silence of the Lambs, but fava beans go with more than a nice Chianti. Vicia faba, also known as the broad bean, tic bean, field bean and bell bean is a versatile spring vegetable.

Known for the long thick pods lined with a soft fluff, splitting open a fava bean is like opening a jewel box to find your dinner presented on a bed of velvet. For many dishes the skin of the beans itself needs to be removed (making them slightly unpopular with impatient cooks), but it's worth the effort. Some people experience a reaction to the raw or uncooked beans, so favas should always be cooked completely.

The plant is a hardy one, able to withstand cold temperatures and salinity in its soil. They grow quickly and have lush foliage, making them an ideal cover crop. Favas are also considered nitrogen fixers, adding this important nutrient back to the soil.

Favas are eaten in many cultures from Asian to the Middle East to Europe and Northern Africa. They can be fried and served as a snack, added to soup and stews, tossed with pasta or served as a topping on bread or toast. The most famous fava dish has to be the Egyptian dish ful medames, where the dried beans are stewed and mashed and then blended with lemon, olive oil and spices and served with bread and an egg, typically for breakfast.

Saute of Fresh Fava Beans, Onions, and Fennel from Bon Apetit

3 lb fresh fava beans shelled
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 fresh fennel bulb trimmed, sliced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds coarsely ground with a spice grinder
1 1/3 cup canned low-salt chicken broth more or less
4 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup chopped pancetta
1/2 teaspoon dried savoury
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Cook fava beans in boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain, cool and peel outer skins.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel bulb; saute 5 minutes. Add favas or lima beans and fennel seeds; saute 3 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and 2 tablespoons dill; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Stir in pancetta and savoury, adding more broth if mixture is dry. Simmer until favas are tender, about 15 minutes longer.

Mix in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Fava Bean Bruschetta

1 cup fava beans, hulled
6 Roma or other flavourful tomato, seeded and cut into 8ths
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
juice of half a lemon
2 Tbsp fresh oregano or basil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Blanche the fava beans in boiling water for 4 minutes, then refresh with cold water, drain and set aside. Gently toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic. Place the seeded tomatoes in a baking pan, and roast for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile remove the skins from the fava beans. Add the beans to the tomatoes, stirring gently to ensure the tomatoes don't stick. Roast for another 5 minutes or so until the beans are warmed through.

Remove the beans and tomatoes to a bowl and add a squeeze of lemon, plus the oregano or basil. Mix well, mashing the beans slightly. Check for seasonings and adjust as necessary. Spoon onto on slices of toasted Italian bread and serve.

The time is upon us. If you're like me, you've walked past time huge, hard, tasteless red supermarket strawberries all winter in anticipation of June and Ontario strawberry season. Nothing beats the smell or flavour of an Ontario strawberry, ripe, just picked, and warm from the sun.

Strawberries are a member of the rose family, and while the old bit of trivia claims that strawberries are the only fruit to have their seeds on the outside (which they're not - cashew fruit and pineapple both have their seeds on the outside) those little yellow things that most people think are the seeds are actually the fruit; the red flesh bit we love to eat is the receptacle.

Dating back to ancient Rome, the strawberry as we know it originated in Europe, and was cultivated in 13th century France for medicinal purposes. The first American species of strawberry was cultivated in 1835 and strawberries grow in every province and every state in Canada and the US. While we normally think of June and July as strawberry season, many farmers now grow a number of "everbearing" varieties that will bear fruit from June until the first frost. Vendors at many Toronto farmers markets (including Nathan Phillips Square and Metro Hall) usually have berries right up until October. There's been many a year when I've had fresh Ontario berries for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning. And if you're wondering why it's better to buy local berries, consider what happens to berries from California before they get here.

1 cup of strawberries has 140% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and contains only 55 calories. (It's the whipped cream that gets you!)

When selecting strawberries, look for firm, red berries with the green caps still attached. They will keep in the fridge for 1 - 2 days, but do not wash them until just before you eat or cook them, as they will absorb water and get mushy. To freeze strawberries, wash them, remove the leaves and lay them on in a single layer on a cookie sheet (this will keep them from freezing together in a big clump), then place in the freezer. Once they're frozen, transfer them to freezer bags.

Strawberries with Cracked Black Pepper and Sweetened Ricotta
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

1 pint of Ontario strawberries
1 tbsp of white sugar
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 250 ml container of Ricotta cheese
2 tbsp honey

Makes enough for dessert for 2 people

Start by gently running the strawberries under cold water to rinse and lay them on a couple of layers of paper towels to dry. With the paring knife remove the green tops and cut each strawberry in half. In the mixing bowl toss the strawberries with the sugar and let sit for 15 minutes.

In two small bowls divide the strawberries and what ever juice they gave up. Place a heaping spoon of ricotta on top, drizzle with the honey and sprinkle over the cracked pepper.

This dish will depend on the quality of the ingredients you buy, the strawberries should be as ripe as possible, the pepper freshly ground and the ricotta fresh if possible.

Strawberry Jam Two Ways
I came up with this last year when I wanted a strawberry jam that was a little more glamorous. Note the low sugar-to-fruit ratio - you must use the pectin for this recipe or it will not set.

9 cups strawberries (3 pounds)
5 cups sugar
2 lemons, zest and juice
1 package Certo or other pectin

Wash, top and roughly chop the berries and add to a large pot with 1 cup of sugar. Mash lightly and allow the berries to macerate for about an hour.

Prepare jars, lids and rings by placing them in boiling water and then keeping them in a warm oven (275°F) upside down until you are ready to fill them.

Add the remaining sugar and lemon to the large pot with the berries and cook over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes. Add pectin and continue to boil. Skim foam from top occasionally but do not stir too much.

When jam reaches 220°F on a candy thermometer, spoon some onto a chilled plate. You're looking for the jam to quickly form a soft skin.

At this point, you can fill your jars or add one of the following flavour variations.

Balsamic Pepper Strawberry Jam

1 Tbsp crushed black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh chopped tarragon
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Rose and Vanilla Strawberry Jam

1/8 cup rose water
the seeds of a fresh vanilla pod
2 tsp ground cardamom

After adding either flavour variation, let the mixture reach 220°F again and check for both flavour and set before filling jars.

Follow the standard procedure for sealing and sterilizing jars.

Related to the mustard plant, radishes come in several varieties, ranging from sweet to spicy and peppery in flavour and from white to vibrant red, and even grey and black in colour. They are a favourite of the home gardener because they're easy to sow, grow quickly, and offer an early sense of accomplishment. Cultivation of radishes dates back to Roman times and records suggest that the plants were domesticated somewhere in Europe.

Which begs the continued question - why do we mostly eat them raw in salads? A perusal of the Internet led to me recipes for pickled radishes, roasted radishes and one in which the roots are boiled until tender and then tossed with butter and brown sugar, much as you'd do with carrots or parsnips. Having tried this, I think I know why we prefer to eat the things raw - boiling saps out all of the lovely crisp peppery flavour.

Wikipedia indicates that "radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium. They are a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium. One cup of sliced red radish bulbs provides approximately 20 calories, largely from carbohydrates".

Note that radish leaves are also edible - don't waste these if they're in good condition - they also go great in salads. And if your garden still gives you more radishes than you can use, maybe consider carving some of them into figures like they do at Christmas in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Raw Radish and Radish Greens with Raw Butter, Grilled Miche and Smoked Oysters
from Anthony Rose, Executive Chef, The Drake Hotel

1 bunch radishes with tops, cleaned and soaked in really cold water to make the greens perky and stand up
Sea salt
1/2 lb good raw butter
Good bread - I use a miche from Fred's bread. Cut it thick, brush with EVOO and grill slowly.
3 cans smoked oysters from Fanny Bay Oyster Co. in B.C. You can get them at Diana's Seafood.

We put everything on one plate, sprinkle the salt on the butter and open the can just a smidge. The presentation is great.
We don’t sell a ton of them but when we do, guests love it.

Drink with cold beer.
Drink with more cold beer.
That’s really about it!

Radish, Pink Grapefruit and Mint Salad
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

1/2 6oz bag of red radish
1 pink grapefruit
3 sprigs of mint
3 tbsp of Olive oil
1 tsp of salt

Makes a side salad for two.

You will need one cutting board, a small paring knife, a small mixing bowl, and a bottle of white wine.

With the paring knife or better yet, a mandolin, slice the radishes paper thin. Soak the radishes in cold water. Peel the skin from the grapefruit and cut into segments, squeeze the remaining juice from the grapefruit and reserve. Roughly chop the mint. Drain the radishes well; combine them in a bowl with the grapefruit segments, the reserved grapefruit juice, and the mint. Add the olive oil and salt and stir to combine. Open up a bottle of white wine and enjoy. This salad would pair well with a nice fillet of white fish, scallops, shrimp or on its own with some crusty bread.

For additional interesting things to do with radishes check out Martha Stewart's collection of radish recipes (everything from radish green soup to radish slaw and fish tacos), and the UK food blog Vegging Out has links to some cool radish recipes as well (ooh! radish chips!).

Related to the lily, asparagus is a flowering spring vegetable that is native to Europe, northern Africa and eastern Asia. Growing from a crown planted in sandy soil, asparagus spears can grow 10 inches in a 24-hour period under ideal conditions. The spears will grow for 6 to 7 weeks with pickings about every 4 to 5 days, until the spears are finally left to grown into a fluffy fern with red berries.

When purchasing asparagus, look for firm, fresh tips. Thin spears are not necessarily better tasting than thick ones. Remove the woody ends by grasping the asparagus at the very end and the very tip and bending it - it will snap off where the woodiness begins. Keep asparagus clean, cold and covered when storing. Asparagus is normally served as a side dish and can easily be frozen on canned. A traditional serving method is on toast, either creamed or cooked and doused in butter. Asparagus is one of the few food  items that etiquette books permit to be eaten with the fingers.

Asparagus is an excellent source of folic acid and thiamine. And until you douse it with butter and other good things, it is very low in calories.

Incidentally, studies have shown that everyone gets "asparagus pee" after eating asparagus. However, only about 22% of the population has the gene that allows them to detect that very distinct smell.

Asparagus alla Milanese
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

1/2 bunch of Ontario asparagus
2 large eggs
2 tbsp of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of salt

Makes enough for two people as a side.

Place a sauce pan of water with the salt on the stove and bring to a boil. Place a frying pan on low heat and add the butter. Cut the woody part off the bottom of the asparagus stalks. Crack both eggs into the frying pan, cook gently until the egg whites just set, then remove from the heat. Drop the asparagus into the boiling water and cook until tender. Remove the asparagus from the water and drain. Split the asparagus into two plates, place one egg on top of each plate of asparagus and pour over the remaining butter. Season and sprinkle over the Parmigiano Reggiano. It is important that the egg yolk be runny as when broken this will make the sauce.

Asparagus Salad

I had a version of this at Local Kitchen and Wine Bar a few weeks ago. I recreated it recently and think I got it pretty close. Serves 2 hungry people or 4 as a small side dish.

2 bunches asparagus
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano

Remove woody ends from asparagus stalks and chop into 1-inch pieces. Blanche in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes, until just barely fork tender. Drain asparagus and shock with cold water. Drain again and allow to cool. Toss asparagus with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Arrange on plates and then shave thin slices of the cheese over top.

For more information about asparagus, or for asparagus recipes, check out the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Association.

In the book, it's threshing season and she's cooking huge meals for all of the men who have come to help her husband, and in her haste she omits the sugar from the pie plant pie. One of the men cuts a slice and takes a bite before graciously commenting that his wife makes it without sugar as well, because that way people can sweeten it to taste. Ingalls Wilder is mortified because she knows what she has served is horribly bitter. Based on that book, I spent my childhood thinking that "pie plant" was actually eggplant (which also had a reputation for being bitter).

All along though, my family was enjoying rhubarb (we had a huge patch in the backyard), which, 20 years later, I finally figured out was the "pie plant" the author was referring to. Because, well... duh - it makes a great pie.

Rhubarb is one of the first dessert-friendly crops to appear each spring. While technically a vegetable, in the US it's classified as a fruit because of the manner in which people use it. It can be forced in greenhouses and starts to appear as early as February or March, but rhubarb grown outdoors isn't ready until late April or May. Cut back at that time, it will produce another crop in mid-summer. The huge ruffly leaves are quite poisonous - only the stalks are edible - and while sweeter varieties have been cultivated in recent years, rhubarb still usually needs cooking and sugar to make it palatable.

The fruit is considered a very good source of dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium and manganese. It is also used in medicinal applications as a laxative, so best to keep consumption down to one slice of pie a day!

Rhubarb stores well, either frozen raw or stewed first; is often paired with strawberries in pies or crisps, and is used frequently in jams. It can also be used in savoury applications and pickled.

Rhubarb and Basil Compote
from Christopher Palik, Executive Chef, L-Eat Catering and Paese Ristorante

3 to 4 stalks of pink rhubarb
1 bunch fresh basil
1 /2 cup sugar
zest and juice of one orange

With a vegetable peeler, peel away as much of the strings from the stalks of rhubarb as possible. Cut the rhubarb into medium sized pieces, use only the pinkest parts. Throw out the green bits. Zest the orange and juice (set zest aside). In a small sauce pan add the sugar and the orange juice. Place the sauce pot on the stove, turn the heat on low and gently melt the sugar. Once the sugar has melted, stir in the rhubarb, turn up the heat and while stirring, cook the rhubarb until it starts to break down. Remove from the heat and scrape into a heat proof bowl, allow to cool. While cooling, finely chop the basil. Stir the orange zest and the basil into the rhubarb compote. This will hold for a few days but is best eaten the day of.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, cheese cake or crème brulee or pair with savoury items such as halibut or duck by taking out a good portion of the sugar to make it more tart.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake
modified from a recipe of my Mom's (no idea where the original came from)

Cake:
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup rhubarb, chopped (if you're using frozen, let it thaw and drain it well)
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup coconut

Cream together butter and sugar, adding egg and vanilla and blending well. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet mixture interspersed with milk, blending well after each amount. Add rhubarb last and spread into an 8-inch square pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top. Bake at 325°F for 45 – 50 minutes.