Eating on MV: The First Greens of Spring

Along with the first signs of spring on the Vineyard come the season's first greens, ready to surprise and wake up taste buds lulled by winter’s cozy foods. 

Dandelion greens, fiddlehead ferns, baby asparagus and sorrel leaves can be enjoyed as raw or lightly cooked salads dressed with only olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, letting the flavors shine through. 

But aside from these solo presentations, these sprightly, slightly bitter greens can be combined with other seasonal ingredients in culinary celebration of spring.

On Island, those of us without the time, expertise or inclination to gather wild ingredients have the happy option of using local produce. Martha’s Vineyard’s 'buy local' initiatives make it possible to find the succulent springtime produce in Island markets.

A tasty & easy soup that sings of springtime:

• Wash, then sauté a combination of the ferns or dandelion greens along with the minced white bulb of a medium-sized spring onion until all are wilted. Steam or poach until soft about a pound of asparagus. (The ferns and greens are bitter so add sparingly, about 1/4 cup, according to your own taste).
• Puree the cooked vegetables with 3/4 cup of buttermilk and 3/4 cup of chicken stock.  A small boiled potato can be added if you like a thicker soup or milder taste.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with fresh chervil.
• The same basic recipe using sorrel leaves and about half as much onion makes an amazing soup that can be served hot now, and cold as the weather warms.

Saute of Spring Greens
A practical and delicious solution conceived by early New Englanders to finish up the last bits of ham that sustained them through winter was to combine it with the first greens of the new season. The variations on this are endless and especially delicious because the saltiness of the ham plays off the bitterness of the new greens:

• Begin by washing, then chopping or tearing, the leafy greens into bite-sized pieces.  You should have about 3 cups before cooking.  If the fiddleheads are small they may be left whole but the asparagus stalks should be cut into about 4 pieces. Depending on your preference, about 1/3 lb. of asparagus or  3/4 cup of fiddleheads is needed.
• Saute until al dente along with about 4 coarsely chopped spring onions (start sauting the onion first so that it cooks more thoroughly than the other vegetables). 
• Add about a half cup of minced ham and a small potato that has been boiled and diced. Continue to cook until all the ingredients are heated though.
• The ham should eliminate the need for salt, but pepper generously. 
• For a vegetarian version leave out the ham and sprinkle lavishly with parmesan cheese.
• This dish, without the potatoes, can also be used as a dressing for pasta, an omelet filling or, by incorporating it into several beaten eggs, a delicious filling for quiche.

MVOL.com spoke to Russ Cohen forager, professional environmentalist and author of  ''Wild Plants I Have Known ... and Eaten,' about which edible wild plants could be gathered on the Island in the early spring.  Russ came up with a formidable list, including some well known varieties such as dandelion greens, water cress and chickweed sprouts as well as some more unexpected finds including cattail hearts, cat briar shoots, curled dock and beech pea tendrils.  The key to safe eating is to be sure that what you are foraging is indeed edible - for example Island grown fiddleheads are best avoided, but their off-Island cousin, the ostrich fern (available in-season at Cronigs) , may be safely consumed.  For plants that grow in or around water, ascertain that the source is clean.  If in doubt, serve cooked. For information on Russ' Polly Hill Arboretum program <click here>

The recipes offered serve two.

Carol Ward is the Content Manager for MVOL.com and a year-round Vineyard resident