As I was preparing my menu for this week, I found myself reminiscing about the experiences which led to me having the main ingredients. I realized that many of my locavore recipes have had stories behind them. It’s yet another unexpected pleasure discovered as I continue to transition toward eating only locally grown foods.
Today’s vegetable dish began several days ago with a visit to my friend Nancy Simmerman at Gude Erth Farm here on Lummi Island. Nancy spins and knits natural fibers, and has a studio near her home where she sells the clothing she designs and constructs (call 758-2489 for an appointment). I stopped by to talk with her about a project we’re working on together. While we were visiting, another mutual friend dropped in and we all enjoyed a nice cup of tea while catching up on our latest summer travels and visitors. Continue Reading
By late spring many of the salad greens are ripe enough for first harvest. Fresh local leaf lettuces in various colors, salad mixtures with flavor powerhouses such as arugula, mesclun, mizuna, and frisee, and so much more have begun to show up in grocery stores, home gardens, and farmers markets.
It’s that wonderful time of the year for putting together spring salads with enough variety to make a meal unto themselves! Gardens and farms are currently harvesting a cornucopia of lettuces, mixed salad greens and other salad vegetables. 
A frittata is basically an omelette, except the filling ingredients are mixed in throughout the eggs instead of layered separately as a filling. Fresh organic local eggs have a color, taste, and texture that will amaze you if you’re used to eating farm factory eggs.
Currants, plums and forsythias are beginning to bloom, crocuses sprouted several weeks ago, and the gardeners among us are wearing dirt under their fingernails and big smiles. Spring is definitely coming, if not already here, and it’s time to think about spring cleaning, both inside and out. Stay with me for a minute and I’ll show how that’s related to this week’s menu. 
