Spring greens, spinach, kale and chard are abundant in April. These leafy greens (kale and chard in particular) are considered superfoods because of the amount of vitamins A, C and K they contain. Leeks, spring onions and purple sprouting broccoli are available too and this leek noodle recipe from the Eco Savvy cookbook showcases these earthy vegetables beautifully. These noodles can be bulked out with greens or purple sprouting broccoli too to make a more substantial asian inspired meal.

Wild garlic, also known as ramsons, is readily available around the island in April. It is easily identified by its distinctive garlic smell, long, pointed, oval-shaped leaves, and small, white, star-shaped flowers that grow in clusters. As with all foraging be sure to pick mindfully, never intensively from one spot, and ensure you have identified the plant correctly before consuming. (The easiest way to do this is to go with an experienced forager like Wild Food Arran to be shown what and where to harvest.) This simple wild garlic pesto recipe from the Arran Home Recipe book is delicious stirred through pasta or even spread on toast.

Rhubarb works beautifully in desserts with its sharp tanginess pairing beautifully with oats to make a tasty seasonal crumble. Jumbo and porridge oats are available from the Zero Waste Cafe and this crumble recipe with the addition of desiccated coconut gives a twist on a classic.

In the garden

As the weather improves and the soil warms up it is time to plant seeds outside and to keep an eye out for any emerging weeds. There is a great range of seeds that can be sown directly outdoors in April, though if the weather is cold (less than 10 degrees) delay sowing until later in the month as warm soil promotes faster germination. 

Kale, cabbage, turnips, carrots, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radish, spinach, lettuce, beetroot, broad beans, spring onions and chard can all be sown now. Seeds sown later into warm soils tend to catch up with earlier sown crops. To help warm the soil it is possible to cover it, either with bin bags or horticultural fleece, a few weeks prior to sowing.

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Recipes

Leeks with noodles

Ingredients

2 leeks 

Pack of noodles (either ready to cook or dried) 

Dessert spoon of sesame seeds 

Sesame oil

1 tbsp grated ginger 

2 cloves garlic (crushed) 

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped 

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Cook or heat noodles.
2. Fry chopped leeks until soft in oil with grated ginger, chopped chilli and the crushed garlic.
3. Toss noodles with the leeks adding coriander and season to taste.
4. Serve, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Elevate your dish by dry toasting the seeds first.

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Wild Garlic pesto

Ingredients

100g wild garlic leaves

50g nutritional yeast or parmesan

50g toasted pine nuts, walnuts or pumpkin seeds

1-2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil

Lemon juice to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Thoroughly wash wild garlic leaves and place them with the parmesan/nutritional yeast, rapeseed oil and nuts/seeds of choice in a food processor and blitz. You could also do this with a pestle and mortar if you want a coarser pesto.
2. Add a little more oil if you want a thinner sauce
3. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste
4. The pesto will stay fresh kept under a layer of oil in a jar in the fridge for up to a week but is best enjoyed fresh

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Rhubarb and Coconut Crumble

Ingredients

500g rhubarb, cut into rough 1inch chunks

100g caster sugar

2 cardamon pods (optional)

100g plain flour

30g oats

20g dessicated coconut

90g butter, chilled

50g sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200ºc (180ºc fan).

2. In a saucepan, add the rhubarb, caster sugar and crushed cardamon pods and soften over a low-medium heat. This takes around 15 minutes. You want them to be soft, but still with a bit of bite left in them as they’ll continue to soften in the oven.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, coconut, butter and sugar until crumbly, breaking large chunks apart. It is easiest to do this by hand, rubbing the mixture with your finger into a crumb. You want to keep the ingredients as cool as possible, so place in the fridge if ready before the rhubarb mix.

4. Once the rhubarb is softened, place in an oven dish, cover with the crumble mix and bake in the oven till golden – around 30 minutes, then serve!

Recipe: Rhubarb and Coconut Crumble

This article is written by our Sustainable Food Coordinator Jess Wallace, who is part of our Zero Waste Cafe team.