Horta

The Greeks are well known for their healthy and economical practice of harvesting their weeds and vegetable garden thinnings to make delicious dishes of cooked greens. It is said that at least 28 different plants are used, in varying combinations according to season and availability to make this nutritious addition to the daily diet.

Having tried various weeds for taste over time I can't say I'm a fan of all of them. Hogweed was a particular disappointment when I experimented with it earlier this year and nettle soup is only really edible if well flavoured with plenty of other more appetising additions.

However, I am a fan of wild sorrel which grows on the farm in amongst the grass in the fields. It's easy to find, and the only plant you might mistake it for is young dock. That won't poison you but is no gustatory treat. Sorrel can be recognised by its softer smoother appearance and the arrow shaped points at the base of the leaves.

I also picked a small handful of some sort of mustard or rape greens, clearly naturalised from a farm crop at at a previous time and now endemic around the yard. To add to these leaves I took a few nasturtium leaves for their peppery taste, a sprig of sage, another of mint and a big bunch of thinnings from the beetroot crop. These tiny beet plants have not yet grown proper beet roots but are just tiny red flushed leaves on scarlet stalks.



To add to these tender leaves, really fresh and delicate enough to use as salad, I picked half a dozen pumpkin vine tips, just 15cm from the end of each vigorous shoot. As well as providing me with a tasty vegetable this will have the advantage of slowing the plants down and forcing them to devote their resources to the wonderful pumpkins already formed and swelling.

Each shoot tip has a few soft leaves, a fleshy and crunchy stem and if you are lucky a few really tiny flowers and baby fruits.

Chop the pumpkin tips coarsely and gently fry in a little olive oil until hot. Add the well washed and roughly cut up greens, stir around in the oil and add a splash of water. Put on the pan lid and allow the vegetables to cook in the steam.

Many recipes for call for a longer cooking in more water and this may be good advice if you are using bitter weeds like dandelion or sow thistle but for dainty morsels like these it is not necessary.

When the vegetables are cooked, just a few minutes, tip into a bowl with all the juice formed and dress with plenty of olive oil, salt to taste and lemon juice. Eat hot or allow to cool to room temperature.