April is the month of the greens. If you dodged them as a kid it’s a good time to abandon those fears and give greens a go. 

Plums are also marvellous. They can be sweet, tart or almost savoury. They exist in a myriad of colours from bright yellow (Mirabelles) to such a dark blue that they appear to be almost black. They are tiny and they are large, some are round and some resemble an oblong football. They are great consumed fresh, terrific in jams, fabulous in tarts and pies and make some of our most cherished Eau de Vie. When in Alsace you have to try a ‘Mirabelle’, when in Switzerland a ‘Pflümli’ and who could ever ignore Slavic Slivovitz? Dried plums are consumed as prunes and the juice of both fresh and dried plums is enjoyed. Like peaches they come in cling- or slip- stone varieties and, once picked, need to be eaten quickly. Plums are a favourite of many of nature’s little creatures and it might pay to cut organic plums in half before you eat them; just to be sure.

Silverbeet, also known as Swiss Chard, is at its best in May. Often called ‘spinach’ in Australia it really is a very different plant and related to sugar beet. In Australia we often only use the green part, whereas in many European countries the crunchy, white stems are used. Ruby chard is the same plant with the same taste and texture; the only difference is the colour of the stalk, which is red instead of white. Silverbeet contains a lot of digestible iron and can be slightly bitter. Babies do not generally appreciate it. It tends to be an acquired taste and the bitterness increases with size.