On Wicked Wednesdays we all weigh in on a subject. Since we all write cozy, food is an important subject. For some of us, it is part of our series. For all of us, it is a subject we love to discuss. So this week, let’s talk about the food that signifies “spring” to all of us. Recipes are welcome!
Julie: Rhubarb. I make a mean strawberry rhubarb pie, though it isn’t any special family secret. Better Holmes and Gardens does it. I need to find some more rhubarb recipes–I really do love it. And it tastes like spring.
Jessie: Chives are my spring thing. I have several patches in my gardens and as soon as there is enough length on their fresh green shoots I begin snipping them to add to anything savory. There is nothing like freshly cut chives in Thai spring rolls or omelettes.
Sherry: Now I want some chives, Jessie! I don’t think it’s one particular food for me, but I love that the Farmers Markets are open again the and the fresh produce is flowing in from local farms. There’s something about strolling around in the fresh air that makes buying food so much more fun. One of the things I want to do this spring is try new vegetables that I’ve never used before. Wish me luck because with my cooking skills it could get ugly.
Edith: <Snort, Julie, on the Better Holmes and Gardens.> Good luck, Sherry! It’s not that hard. I love, love, love, fresh asparagus, and this year our three-year-old patch is shooting up a half-pound a day. Nothing says spring like lightly steaming asparagus and marinating it in a light vinaigrette. Recipe on the Recipes tab on my web site.
Liz: I’m so excited that it’s almost farm share time again. We have a share with a great local farm. They have the absolute best kale, among other things, but also cool things I’d never have tried otherwise if they hadn’t shown up in the share bag. Like tatsoi and kohlrabi. I still prefer the kale!
Barb: Like Julie, I love rhubarb. We have a big patch growing at our house in Maine and my husband has all sorts of clever recipes. (One of them is the Strawberry Rhubarb Sour Cream Coffee Cake in Clammed Up.) Which reminds me. Strawberries! We eat them the whole spring season. And fresh peas. But I have to put a plug in for that blink-and-you’ll-miss-them, only-in-the-spring, limited-time-engagement-treat, fiddlehead ferns.
Okay, it’s just around 6:30 am here and I haven’t had breakfast so now I’m really hungry. 🙂 So many yummy ideas. For me, it’s scones that says “spring” to me. I sometimes make them in the winter but there’s something about a cool spring morning and warm scones served on the patio with the pups just relaxing and hearing the birds sing. Simply spring. Now I must have something to eat.
I love scones but I love them anytime.
OMG, scones!!!!!
Wow, Debra. It’s exactly that morning here, substituting cats for the dogs. I might have to make some scones.
My blackberries are growing! Although you can find nearly any time of fruit or vegetable at the store from around the world anymore, nothing brings on the feeling of Spring and Summer like fruit grown closer to home, especially cantaloup and watermelon..and peaches!
I agree! Finding local produce is so much fun!
Apparently chives are the only thing I can manage to grow–they even overwinter for me. The endless snows seem to have killed off half my hostas, which I didn’t think was possible. But I second the fiddleheads, Barb! I have a batch in my fridge right now. (Do you do anything with them other than saute them gently with butter?)
That’s the only way I know, Sheila. The best fiddlehead I ever, ever had were at Craigie on Main in Cambridge, MA. Unbelievable.
I make them lightly steamed, then tossed with butter, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. But sauteed in just plain (salted) butter is just fine too!
I’ve never heard of fiddleheads. They sound like they’d be an exotic dish here in Pittsburgh!
Wow, Sheila, I didn’t think anything could kill hostas….I don’t grow anything, I am ashamed to admit, but I support the local farmers’ market. Fresh asparagus and new corn–yum.
Another thing we have in common, Ramona. I’ve tried to grow vegetables without much success. We are helping small business people out at the farmers’ market!
I’m drawing a blank here. I can’t think of any food that I identify with spring. Food wise, I view it as the time I spend between oranges in winter and the wonderful fruits of summer.
That’s the interesting part about living in different climates, I think.
The first year we lived in San Pedro I bought soooooo many strawberries. I loved going to the market there!
I concur on everything above, especially the fiddleheads. I love them so hard, probably because the season is so painfully short. And I have that same cookbook, Julie, but I think a slightly newer version. But it is well worn, nonetheless!
Someone’s comment on Facebook reminded me that I forgot about spring onions. In Barcelona, they’re served to you as an appetizer on a sizzling stone platter with dipping sauces. To die.
They sound fabulous, Barb!
I can’t think of any spring foods! I eat the same year round, just maybe a little lighter in the warm weather (no heavy soups or stews), and more salads.
I couldn’t think of one particular food either, Joyce!