by the handful

The Urban Farmer’s Breakfast

There is something to be said for gathering your entire meal from your yard. Also, why not switch up the usual starch, dairy, and fat typically consumed for breakfast. Here is a good way to introduce some vegetables into your day early and it is quick to prepare. This recipe utilizes the best of the early summer garden vegetables, a real treat.  If you don’t have all of these ingredients, maybe you will be inspired to work towards growing them. When carrots are about half size its time to thin out a few and find a good use for them which allows enough space for the rest to grow to full size. I can usually find some baby potatoes, and asparagus and peas (my favorite) are in peak season. Good news for poached egg eaters as this is and soft-boiled are the healthiest methods to prepare eggs as opposed to frying and scrambling.

The Urban Farmer’s Breakfast with perfect poached eggs

young carrots

young potatoes

asparagus

peas

garlic

ghee or clarified butter

eggs

white vinegar

salt & pepper

The vegetables can be prepared in two ways. When I have young vegetables I like to cook them whole but with full sized vegetables it’s better to chop them up into dice-sized pieces and make something resembling a hash out of them. The whole vegetables of course take a little longer to cook so if using whole veggies chop the potatoes, carrots, and asparagus ahead of time. Chop a clove of garlic into thin slices. Two eggs per person and about 4 each of asparagus, baby potatoes, and baby carrots seems to be sufficient. Add ghee or butter to a large skillet and turn burner to med-high. Off to the side fill a deep-sided pan with water and add a glug of vinegar. Add potatoes to heated butter and if using whole potatoes, poke each once with a fork first. After about five minutes, turn heat down to medium and continue to cook, shaking pan every so often. When potatoes become slightly tender add the carrots, and a few minutes later add the asparagus and a shake of salt. When the carrots and asparagus begin to turn a nice brown color add peas and garlic. Turn heat down a little more and make sure everything has softened before removing from heat and adding to plates. For the perfect poached eggs turn already heated burner to high and slide second pan with water and vinegar onto it. Crack an egg into the smallest bowl you can find.  When water just begins to reach a boil, carefully slide egg into the rolling water (like an old man sliding into a bathtub). Crack next egg into small bowl and repeat working clockwise around the pan (this helps keep track of cooking times). It may seem that the eggs are a mess at first but they always come back together. Overall cooking time depends on personal preference, but about two minutes seems to be a good bench mark before turning them over. Next use a slotted spoon to flip each in order they were put into pan. Cook about one minute more and remove with slotted spoon and set each on kitchen towel to dry for a minute. Place each egg on top of vegetables, slice open and salt n pepper ’em.