Spring Abundance

There is a moment sometime in May when I have to start being careful not to purchase too much produce…whether I’m at the grocery store…or the farmers market. Frankly, this is a “problem” for me throughout the growing season. May is just when it starts. There is just so much beautiful abundance.

When asparagus appears in March or April, I get into the habit of purchasing asparagus every time I see it. Then suddenly there are radishes and spring onions (and green garlic!). And I start buying spring onions whenever I see them (I’m so tired of storage onions). Soon there are greens (baby lettuces, arugula, spinach, chard, kale…along with varieties unknown), as well as peas (snow…then sugar snap…then shelling)….and strawberries…and rhubarb. Very soon the baby root vegetables will appear.

I want to cook and eat all of it. But it’s just me doing the eating…so I try to be less exuberant with my purchasing. In light of that, this month’s newsletter will still have recipes that include spring onions, asparagus and radishes. To this mix I have added some rhubarb, Swiss chard, sugar snap peas, and halibut.

Enjoy Halibut in Season

If you live (or have lived) near an ocean or a large body of water, you are probably aware that fish is seasonal. Its availability is affected by (among other things) migration and spawning habits, water temperatures…and human regulations. Having grown up and lived most of my life in land locked states, I have learned about the seasonality of fish from restaurant work…and paying attention at the fish counter.

Fresh, wild-caught halibut begins to show up in the stores in late March/early April. The season ends in November. Pacific halibut is most plentiful in the spring and fall…Atlantic has a short season in May and June.

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