Every spring, white asparagus makes a brief appearance in most supermarkets. Although it’s been a European delicacy for a long time, white asparagus has lately also become popular in the U.S. So popular in fact, these porcelain-like spears are often hard to find. Like ramps and fiddleheads, they’re considered a rare spring delicacy. When they… Read More
Sour Cherry Pie
“This world is but a cherry fair”, wrote Chaucer, and as I pucker up with a bowl of sour ruby-red cherries at my fingertips, I confer. Thin skinned and intensely flavored, sour cherries are slightly smaller than sweet cherries and boast a truly incomparable juicy-tart flavor. Their season is brief—a few short weeks at the end of June and… Read More
Janerik (Sour Green Plums)
New to me, sour green plums have long been a favored springtime snack in the Middle East. Tiny (about the size of grapes), juicy, very crisp, and a bit sour, one small bite captures that green spring crunch! I took a bite and, similar to green almonds, they reminded me of an unripe, green mango—a… Read More
Charms of June: Spring Round-up
What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfilment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.”~ Gertrude Jekyl For me, this spring has been filled with travel, adventure, entertaining guests at home,… Read More
The Promise of Spring
When flowers bloom, so does hope. Although spring doesn’t mark the beginning of the calendar year, for me it is about new beginnings and celebrating the endless possibilities of the human spirit. At this time of year I can’t help but feel hopeful and even more optimistic than usual about a variety of… Read More