Quaintrelle Weekender
Beat the bolt with this ingenious hack. Plus a really great recipe for sweet pea bruschetta.
Bolting: when vegetable crops prematurely run to seed, usually making them unusable. Affected vegetables include lettuce, spinach and fennel. – rhs.org.uk
I bring sad tidings this weekend, my friends.
My lettuce, which makes up a solid 50% of the crop here at Le Clos Condo has bolted in the summer heat. (ICYMI: you can tour my lanai, and field crops, here.)
It seemingly happened overnight. I may have had a few extra rosés this week, it being an elongated holiday and all, but, I’m pretty sure it did.
On one evening, in the orange glow of the setting sun, I was admiring with pride the muscular breach of my lettuce, purple leaves pluming with such vigour it bordered pornographic; the next night… the centre stem had burst through like the sceptre of Zeus, erect and thick with ego and arrogance.
My delicate lettuce sullied. I am left a fool.
Now, experienced gardeners will tsk tsk me for not realizing lettuce – which I was told is the easiest plant to grow – throws tantrums when things get a bit too hot, which I can completely understand as I do the same, but, someone should have told me lettuce, weirdly, for all the summer salads people boast and post about, is not a summer hardy plant.
And now I, staring at my freshly shorn farm, soil as clean shaven as a solider’s firm skull, am left bereft.
It’s a wonder I can write you at all this dark, dark day.
But after taking to my bed, I’ve now realized we all must carry on in the face of crises. Wiping away tears, I took to the internet to trust in the guidance of strangers. And sure enough, the internet came through.
And so today, I bring you what will heretofore be known as, The Bolted Lettuce Remedy.
(And other glimmers of joy.)
Friends, the Saturday edition of Quaintrelle is free for all. To read. It’s not a free for all. It’s ordered and thoughtful, and free for everyone.
However, if you would like to upgrade your membership to get access to the Wednesday posts, as well as help me re-plant my garden, you can do so for as little as $6 Cdn a month, which, at this moment in time is about $4.41 USD and a paltry 3,74€. The Canadian government really needs to do something about this.
Seasonal Snack
Ontario sweet pea season has arrived and I am here for it!
It seems Ontario is a few months behind the warm climates of Europe, but if sweet peas are in season where you are, this is my favourite way to enjoy them.
Toast some good bread. I use sourdough.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and while waiting shell your peas. Add a few cloves of garlic to the water and let them infuse for about 3 minutes.
Salt the water lightly and add the peas. Cook for about a minute until soft. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add most of the peas (save some for garnish) and all the garlic to a blender. Blitz to smooth using the reserved water as needed to loosen the mixture up.
To the pea purée add some lemon juice, lemon zest, and a little fresh chilli.
Mix ricotta cheese with salt and pepper and spread on the toast slices. Top the ricotta with the pea mixture, and garnish with the reserved whole peas.
Serve with a crisp, cold glass of Verdicchio and enjoy.
A Saucy Read
We’re sauce people in my family, and as discussed many times, lovers of powerful flavours. When Salsa Daddy by Rick Martinez was released last spring I wasted no time adding to cart.
I bought the book for my sister for her birthday as well.
My pestle and mortar (and blender if I’m being really honest) is already intimately familiar with traditional salsa verde, macha, morita, and mole, but I am loving the new twists and spins this book offers. Like, how about a caramelized onion and serrano sauce? Um, yes please.
Get with the Program
Ok look, it can’t be all play and no work.
Lately I’ve been fascinated by heavy lifting programs. I’m the right audience for it, of course. At my age, you can’t swing a dead algorithm without hitting some influencer peddling more protein and monster bar bells.
One of the things I’ve started incorporating is a dead hang. Literally hanging by your hands off a bar, with your feet dangling. This is suppose to stretch out your spine and help improve range of motion.
It’s also the first step in being able to execute a proper pull up.
And being able to knock out a proper pull up makes you a superior human being.
Check back with me in 10 weeks.
The Bolted Lettuce Remedy
Would you believe I ultimately found this trick from a segment on Fox? FOX 13 Tampa Bay, to be exact. Thank the internet for You Tube.
Anyway, I am a journalist so I like to check my sources, and it appears others out there on the world wide web agree with our intrepid Floridian gardener.
Should you find yourself with bolted lettuce, here’s what you do:
Cut the lettuce at the base of its stem.
Pluck the leaves from the hardened core.
In the sink or a large bowl, add loads of ice and cold water with about a Tablespoon of white vinegar and submerge the leaves. Allow the leaves to soak for 20 minutes or so. This alchemy somehow sweetens the leaves back up. It’s magic.
Spin dry the leaves so they’re really dry, and store them in a vegetable bag in the fridge, and eat within a few days.
I’ll have a video showing this process on my Instagram sometime today (Saturday.) If you’re reading this edition at the crack of dawn when it comes out, first of all, bless your heart, but second, the video won’t be up yet. Check back in a few hours after I’ve had a my coffee.
Next Week…
Friends, I return on Wednesday with another seasonal update, albeit slightly late seasonal.
Garlic scapes are still thriving in Ontario, and I’ve been experimenting: pickling, preserving, freezing, pesto-ing. I’m going to share a few of my favourite recipes. And while I haven’t decided fully yet, we’ll either talk about what I think is my favourite cookbook … ever. Like, eva eva.
It’s either that or share how I got rid of surprise “guests” who overstayed their welcome.
We’ll see where the muse takes me.
Until then –
xo- Erin
PS – A reminder if you’d like to upgrade you Quaintrelle membership, now’s the time to do it! However, if it’s not in the cards right now, I totally understand, and please know that I am truly grateful you are here regardless of your subscription level.
Loved every bit of this! I’m a sucker for a good dead hang and have recently become interested in pull-ups myself but will probably just live that vicariously through you! Can’t wait for all the updates and best scape ideas! X
Thank you for sharing! Love reading this gardening adventure.. As for Bolted leaves, they do become more pronounced in flavor and tough in texture, so I’ve found it great as Lettuce Potage, braise them, or in a sweet&sour stir fry dish. Lettuce might have not liked the heat, but they’re not bad to the core. Nothing goes to waste!