We have finally hit that time of year. Time for hodge podge.
I can’t say I’ve always been a fan. When I was younger, the thought of eating a big bowl of vegetable chowder did not appeal to me. Now, it’s one of those things I simply must have every year. Summer would not be complete without a feed of hodge podge.
But what all goes in your hodge podge?
You can look online and find many recipes, and there are a few difference. You need whatever new vegetables you can find, particularly potatoes, carrots, beans (yellow and green) and peas. Some like to add a bit of bacon. Some like to add a bit of onion. And I suppose you can find many other sorts of vegies to toss in the pot as well.
As with a lot of local recipes, hodge podge depended on what you had in the garden at any given time. You may have been sneaking a few early carrots, or possibly a few spuds, but this was the real start of the early harvest. Throw a bunch of fresh, early vegies in a pot, add a bit of butter and cream, and you have a fine meal worth celebrating every year.
And you have to make too much. It’s almost a rule. It is no good making hodge podge that will not result in leftovers. As with most chowder style dishes, it is always better the second day. The flavour tends to spread through everything better. Or at least it seems that way.
But the time has come. I need hodge podge. Soon.
