It's Spring!
Hard as it is to believe, it is already April. Spring has sprung - sort of. As I am sure you have all noticed, there is a decided lack of wildflowers. The lack of rain is horrible. Everyone I know is anxiously watching the skies for a cloud - any cloud. Hopefully, we will soon have much-needed rain and the flowers will come soon after.
Lately I have been planting my herbs, veggies and flowers. I use raised beds and containers. That way, I can control both the water and the various beasties that enjoy munching on my plants. It will take a muscular snail to get up to my herbs! Hopefully, most of what I have will make it through this year. I do not have anything approaching a green thumb, so we will see what happens. Just when I thought I had planted everything, I found another lavender plant, purple basil, and a dozen pickling cucumber plants. I still have hostas and ranunculus on the way. Yep, I went a bit overboard. Oh, and there is also squash and eggplant.....and bell peppers and tomatoes....and salad greens. Once everything is put together, I will post photos.
I really love having fresh herbs to cook with. What could be easier than roasting a chicken with fresh sprigs of rosemary or adding fresh chives and basil to an omelet or quiche? Or, just mince fresh herbs into a salad for that little extra punch. One of my favorite things to do is chop fresh mint into a fruit salad. It gives such a fresh, clean pop to the fruit.
Hopefully, all of you who have gardens have them in and they are doing well. If you don't have a garden, find a friend who does. Or, check out your local farmer's market or farm stands. The Fredericksburg Farmer's Market is open on Thursday evenings. I plan to make a stop this week. Seasonal produce is the best. And, supporting local farmers is vital.
For Easter weekend I decided to try out some new recipes. I just bought the cookbook Maman and I already love it. I tried the asparagus, feta and dill quiche and the couscous salad. Both were incredible. It is a cookbook I highly recommend. The recipes are different, but approachable. You do not have to use the yak cheese made by the 12 elderly monks in Nepal. Rather, you can use feta from the grocery store and bought pie crust. This is a cookbook that is going to get quite a workout. If you would like a copy, let me know. I am sure we will have another cookbook order going in soon.
I hope all of you are having a wonderful spring. Let me know what your favorite spring recipes are. If you have a garden, send pictures and I will post them in the next blog!
Happy cooking!
Victoria