Here at Cauldron we adore experimenting with flavours from around the world, but sometimes it’s easy to forget how brilliant some of the fruit and vegetables we have here on our doorstep are! This month, we’re celebrating the humble spring greens; looking into what exactly they are and why they’re so great for us, how best to cook them and, of course, some of our favourite recipes containing them.
What are spring greens?
Simply put, spring greens are the first cabbages of the year, they differ from collard greens – which are the greener, later growth. They are very much similar to a cos lettuce in their shape but are looser in form, without the tough heart of other cabbages and don’t have the fibrous crunch of round cabbages.
The health benefits of spring greens are well known; stemming from the brassica family, they provide you with a great amount of vitamin K – which builds bone strength – and vitamin C – which helps to support your immune system. There has been much documentation to suggest that some of the natural compounds found within plants such as spring greens have anti-inflammatory properties which help protect against strokes and heart disease.