The spring kitchen: the first tender leaves
The first thinnings and baby leaves from April to June are mild, delicate, and almost too fine for hard heat. Four recipes that treat them accordingly.
Spring silverbeet is a different vegetable from autumn silverbeet. The thinnings you pull to give the rest of the row room are food from the very first moment: mild, crisp, and without a trace of the mineral weight that arrives later in the season. The same goes for the first proper leaves, small enough to eat raw.
The rule of thumb is simple: the smaller the leaf, the less you should do to it. Raw with olive oil and lemon, or seconds in a hot pan, that is the whole repertoire. The stems are so thin at this point that they don't need separating from the leaves; everything goes into the pan together.
And harvest properly from the start: take the outer leaves and leave the heart standing, and the plant keeps producing right up to the frost.
The recipes
Garlicky Sautéed Silverbeet with Lemon
With spring's tender leaves this takes under a minute in the pan: the garlic almost needs longer than the leaves.
Green Omelette Wrap with Silverbeet
Baby leaves straight into the eggs, and lunch is ready in ten minutes.
Silverbeet & Feta Frittata
The first proper harvest deserves a frittata where the leaves play the lead against salty feta.
Green Silverbeet Pancakes
Thinnings go straight into the batter, and the colour does the rest of the work.
Tips
- Thinnings are eaten whole: root, stem, and leaf. Rinse well; the grit sits at the base.
- Leaves under ten centimetres don't need separating from the stem; everything goes into the pan together.
- Harvest the outer leaves and leave the heart standing, and the plant produces all summer.