While September 1 marks the unofficial start of the season (we are always so eager to move on from winter), the spring equinox in late September is when things truly start to kick into gear. This marks the time when we begin to have more hours of the day spent in sunlight than darkness, and when the garden comes into full swing.
In early October, the Wānaka garden is still sleepy — bundled up in straw, protected from the cold, and ready to wait out another frost (as we are so close to the Southern Alps, we can even get snowfall and frosts as late as December). But with the equinox, it all starts to spring to life and the growth of new shoots and leaves is quite phenomenal. After months of slumber, the garden begins to wake in a parade of sweet smells and glorious colours — daffodils, anemones, apricot and cherry blossom, and the first new green leaves.
Apart from early salad greens, asparagus is the first of the vegetables to emerge, its sweet green tips peeking out of the ground. Then come radishes, and the first of the snow peas. The sweetness of spring vegetables is all the more joyful after a long winter of humble root vegetables and sturdy greens.
Spring’s new soft green leaves have hardly had any sun, and are so full of chlorophyll that they are the most intensely vibrant green. Even their taste is green.
Our two recipes for you are a celebration of these delicious, tender vegetables. Their delicate flavours need little encouragement to shine — fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon, and creamy cheese are our favourite way to bring them to life.
Big spring salad
Raw asparagus has such a great taste and texture when young, with a pea-like sweetness. If you want to make this salad more substantial, add a cup of cooked quinoa in with the asparagus and peas.
Serves 4-6
Ready in 15min
Suitable for DF GF RSF V VE
Ingredients
2 bunches asparagus tough ends discarded, thinly sliced on an angle
1 cup blanched peas or edamame, defrosted if frozen
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest of ½ a lemon
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp flaky sea salt
120g baby rocket or spinach
Flesh of 1 large ripe avocado, diced
3 radishes, very thinly sliced into iced water
100g feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
¼ cup finely chopped mint, parsley, or dill
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place the asparagus, peas or edamame, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and combine.
Just before serving, toss through the rocket. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with the avocado, radishes (drained and dried), feta (if using), mint and seeds. Very gently toss to avoid bruising the avocado or breaking up the cheese too much.
Serve immediately.
Creamy ricotta pasta with asparagus and peas
We love using ricotta as a pasta sauce — it’s lighter than cream or parmesan, while still giving you that decadent, unctuous mouthfeel. Thinning ricotta down with pasta water makes the sauce creamy and smooth, and helps it to cling to the pasta.
Serves 4-6
Ready in 20 min
Suitable for GF RSF V
Ingredients
150g sugar snap peas, destringed, trimmed, sliced on an angle
500g dried pasta such as fettuccine or linguine or gluten-free equivalent
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup ricotta (250g)
½ cup chopped dill, parsley or chervil
½ tsp flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked broad beans and/or peas
To garnish
2 radishes, very thinly sliced
Dill flowers (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Method
Very thinly slice the radishes and put them in a bowl of water with ice cubes (this will ensure they are as crisp as possible).
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Drop in the sugar snap peas, (and beans/peas if you need) to quickly blanch. Remove at once with a slotted spoon and transfer to your bowl of iced water to prevent further cooking.
Cook the pasta, following the packet instructions, until al dente. Once cooked, reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the drained pasta back into the empty pot. Stir though the lemon zest to infuse, then mix in the ricotta, dill, and lemon juice. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Loosen with a splash of reserved cooking liquid from the pasta, adding more as needed, stirring until you have a creamy sauce (you may not need all of it).
To serve, divide the pasta between bowls and top with sugar snap peas and broad beans/peas. Sprinkle with radishes and dill flowers, if using. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately.
