Do you remember, one time when we were chatting, that we said we'd go bravely into the produce aisle at the supermarket and try something completely new? Have you been doing that? I know, sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. But in the long, cold days of January (like those days last week!) it would be good for us to savor a new flavor. The other day, I saw a package of rapini in the produce section. Rapini is the flamboyant cousin of the broccoli, the world traveller of the brassicas who hails from the Mediterranean and China. Rapini looks like broccoli that has gone leggy and seedy, but it offers up a bitter, biting flavor that is a delicious accompaniment to many meals. (On a cooking show, I watched the chef saute it quickly in olive oil, toss in some chopped garlic, squirt with lemon juice, then serve it with chicken. It looked yummy!)
Here's what I read about rapini: half a cup of rapini will give us almost half the vitamin C that we need for the day, and it is an antioxidant that is said to be very good for the eyes. (Here's an interesting little factoid: other eye-friendly veggies include kale and spinach, both very high in lutein).
But here's what's interesting to us gardeners: we can grow rapini right here at home! Rapini can be planted early, because the plants can tolerate a mild frost. In fact, like many members of the brassica family, they prefer cooler temperatures. I read that we should plant them in a part of our gardens where a member of the cabbage family has not been growing for four or five years. I guess they're a little fussy and like their own space! Rapini will like a sunny location, with moist but not wet soil. I learned that when it turns hot, we will have to check our rapini and harvest our plants often, because they will bolt quickly. When this happens, the shoots will become tough and stringy, and very peppery. But we would want to stay on top of that anyway, because the more we pick, the more our plants will produce. So if we're diligent, we'll enjoy this exotic veggie for a good portion of the summer.
I browsed through our ever-growing pile of seed catalogues on the kitchen table; I must confess that I didn't find rapini seeds because I got quite distracted with the new offerings for this year. So many interesting seeds, so little time! But let's renew our pledge to try fresh new things from the produce aisle, and let's be fearless about planting something new in our gardens! My sweet Mom couldn't wait to try new plants each year - perusing the new catalogues at this time of year was one of her favorite pastimes! Her philosophy was that if we tried something new, and we didn't like it, then next year we'd just try something else. This adventurous spirit glowed brightly in the kitchen too, where Mom was never afraid to try and cook something new, from fruits and veggies to something like a moose roast for a dear friend of ours. So scour the produce aisle, and pick something new, and it might be something we can try to grow.
The first horticultural meeting of 2012 is on February 15 at 7 p.m. in the Sunshine Room at SIGN. The Society always welcomes interested gardeners, and you don't have to be a member to come to the meetings. Mark that date down and join us!
