iron loves vitamin c . free energy

Tomatoes under jugs. Basil in the rain. Loaves. But are the frosts really over? We all long for a sure-fire answer to everything. But the great human dilemma is: you just never know.

We can never be quite sure. Nothing is written in stone. Your headstone reserves the right to the ultimate stone writing. Until then, there is always a chance. Gardening teaches us this. You still have a chance. Of a frost. So, take the necessary precautions.

I gave the last of the parsley away to a restaurant. Pulled out two of the biggest plants and gave them away, roots and all. Then fed the soil with worm compost and prepared it for summer plants. One parsley plant remains. Of course. A garden without parsley would be a sorrowful sight. And as you know - I am a great fan of the humble parsley.

More on the garden coming soon. (Scroll down).

In the kitchen

The latest orange date and walnut loaf is a success. With the addition of yoghurt and a little more flour, and a whole orange’s worth of zest, it held together beautifully and has the perfect crumb for slicing with the delicious tang of fresh orange.

Dates are a moderate source of iron and also provide Vitamin-C free energy.

In Australasia (maybe UK too?) this is called a loaf - in the US this would be called a bread. Which always confused me because then it would be a sweet bread and I refuse to even discuss sweetbreads.

My Pa used to eat sweetbreads - scroll right to the bottom of this post for a description of sweetbreads - wartime food. Not for me at all! 🤮

A sweet date and walnut loaf is much more appetizing.

If you cannot read my writing, message me and I will send you the recipe in Word. Bake at 180c (360f) for 40 minutes. No fan. And keep in mind that all ovens are different so bake in your moderately hot oven for about 35-40 minutes - until your poker comes out almost clean.

Place the entire loaf - still in it’s tin - onto the cooling rack so the bottom cools at the same rate as the sides. No one wants a soggy bottom!

The city garden

Silverbeet is quite possibly the best vege for a down-under garden. This plant grows all winter - I especially love to eat the leaves when mid sized. Slice thinly for salads, add to stir fries or pan fry in butter with parsley and lemon and pumpkin seeds.

In the spring we crave deep greens. Just as the cows shift diets with the seasons, humans carry an ancient hunger for what’s freshly available. So try to eat seasonally whenever possible. In early spring, the tender greens signal abundance and renewal, and our bodies - tired of stodgy winter fare - respond with longing. This is especially true for those of us who are lucky enough to eat local foods in season. In Illinois there is no fresh food grown locally all winter so - yes - eating seasonally is not possible for us all.

Silverbeet is a low-calorie leafy green rich in vitamins A, C, and K. It is a good source of magnesium, potassium, and iron. High in fiber and antioxidants.

I am rather fond of antioxidants - and free radicals for that matter. Free radicals in small amounts are like sharp-toothed ladybirds in the garden - restless and a little destructive, but essential for keeping the aphids in check and helping the whole garden thrive.

Parsley is another green I crave in spring - it grows slowly all winter, here in Melbourne, and though it doesn’t contain free radicals it’s packed with antioxidants, which help thin those wild free radicals out.

Parsley contains significantly more iron than both spinach and silverbeet (by more than double compared to spinach, and almost triple compared to silverbeet). Parsley for the win.

Don’t forget the lemon. Iron needs to be in the presence of vitamin C for maximum absorption. Vitamin-C free energy! So add fresh lemon to your dressing when serving a silverbeet (or kale) and parsley salad. (This salad is great with oranges and feta and nuts).

A note on iron bio-availability: (Bear with me as I get a little geeky). Plant-based sources like silverbeet, parsley and spinach contain non-heme iron, which the body absorbs less efficiently than the heme iron found in animal products. Pairing the greens with vitamin C–rich foods (like citrus, tomatoes, or bell peppers/capsicums) can help improve absorption.

I hate capsicums, (sorry) and the tomatoes are barely planted; so lemons and oranges it is. Much of my diet is vegetables so I do the research. I am busy. I don’t have time to get tired because of careless nutrition.

Nor do you, I bet.

Speaking of tomatoes and the threat of a late frost (because I can’t rule it out definitively and being an impatient gardener, etc), I have planted out a few tomato plants using the top-hat method. Though, soil temperature has more to do with an early harvest than frost avoidance. But - sometimes I don’t care - I am an impatient gardener ☺️.

At dusk I cover the tomatoes with pots or buckets or old jugs (top hats) then in the morning, after it has warmed up, I release them from their bondage, into the safety of a day of warm early spring sunshine.

The rhubarb is growing fast!

Rhubarb is a low-calorie stalk vegetable rich in fiber, vitamin K, and antioxidants, supporting digestion, bone health, and heart health, though it provides only modest vitamin C and little iron at all. It is divine on home made muesli with a little cream.

I am picking some rhubarb this afternoon then I will cook it in orange juice. Though we don’t pick rhubarb really do we - or cut it - more like pluck it. Though going out to the garden to pluck some rhubarb does not sound right, does it?

The peas are doing super well. As well as fixing nitrogen into the soil they will provide fresh peas in around 60 days. I am excited. We can’t be sure of course because - you know - there is always a chance the peas might come to a sticky end due to rabbits living through the back fence! Literally within sniffing distance.

Gardeners are optimists!

And don’t listen when people tell you peas are not a vegetable. Fresh peas are a starchy vegetable, rich in plant protein, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and B vitamins, but with minimal minerals like iron and manganese. Though a vegetable nevertheless.

I give toddlers little bowls of frozen peas in the summer. Mini iceblocks!!

Talking of rabbits and toddlers; at the farmers market this past weekend was a small enclosure with rabbits and ducks and feathery chickens pecking about. For AUS $7 little kids could climb the fence and pet the animals. For rabbit patting the old woman in charge, took the cash from the little fingers, popped a rabbit in a bucket set it on a low table and the child sat transfixed patting a rabbit in a bucket at eye level.

It was an impossibly sweet sight.

And an obvious money maker!

And now I must away!

There is rhubarb to pluck and silverbeet to cut and parsley to gather.

Life is rich.

What’s for dinner? I have not one good idea in my head today. My muggled silverbeet and orange salad followed by the date and walnut loaf - what else?

Love Celi

PS Sweetbreads are not breads at all but the edible glands of young animals, usually calves or lambs—the thymus (from the throat) or the pancreas (from near the stomach). They’re prized for their delicate flavor and creamy texture, often soaked, blanched, then crisped in butter or cream sauces. Thank you Aunty Google.

Um. No.

Yuk.

For the Date and Walnut recipe written out all proper like: