Perennial greens

 One of my favorite greens is a quinoa relative, Good King Henry or Fat Hen. Like Shakespeare"s Puck, this 'Henry' is a Nature spirit or sprite! 

I've had my patch of Blitum Bonus-henricus for over 15 years and appreciate this sturdy perennial's carefree nature! 

The patch in my Galloway Garden thrived in a corner that rarely got extra water. I brought some along when i moved, and it's near my front door,  in the poteger. It's one of my first spring greens, (and this mild winter, hasn't died back!) I found the idea for porridge made from greens on a British blog. 

One of the blessings of perennial vegetables is, with their deep, established roots they draw up more nutrients, especially minerals. 

 Good King Henry

Like me, Alison enjoys growing perennials. With their deep root systems, they are more nutrient dense than their annual counterparts! The flavor may be stronger, so allow yourself to experiment with cooking methods and spices.

Pollen from GKH has been found in sites back to the bronze age in Britain and Western Europe. And like quinoa and amaranth, the small seeds are edible (and easy to include seed heads with the greens!) Young shoots can be eaten like asparagus. 

Allison offered a recipe for Khoubiza, a Moroccan warm "salad" - or pesto - traditionally made with mallow and purslane! The 'Sal' in 'salad' refers to salt - often used with water or broth, to dress cooked greens. 

You can chop the greens, simmer in a bit of water, then sauté with garlic, parsley and other herbs. I often make a pesto, whirring the cooked greens with oil, pumpkin seeds, garlic, green onion, lemon juice or vinegar and herbs in a food processor. 

Malva zebrina flowers and leaves

My mallow - also in the kitchen garden, still has some leaves, dandelion is another easy addition. In spring, I use nettles - flash cooking preserves the allergy busting enzymes!

My younger grandson loves purslane, which volunteers in our back guarden, and I have him help me gather it with other greens in summer. Purslane is one of the best vegetable sources of omega 3 fatty acids. 

Quinoa, yogurt and khoubiza

The small dark seeds in the quinoa are Good King Henry, served with coconut milk yogurt and Khoubiza. I sometimes forget how much flavor pesto or khoubiza adds to a dish - and it's an easy way to eat more fiber and nutrient rich greens! 

Stew; salad: fresh greens, radishes, khubiza; tea

I gathered chard, arugula, dead nettles, dandelion, green onions, parsley, thyme, oregano and savory for today's batch. The chard stems were sautéed separately, and set aside to add to the stew. The salad and pesto were dressed with Olivie oil and lemon juice - and it was so good!! 

 Do are have favorite perennial greens?