Over the past few weeks there has been a noticeable change in the Massachusetts weather. The sun is finally out, t-shirts abound, and flowers are in full bloom! It’s finally spring!
In effort to fully appreciate my new suburban lifestyle, I, or rather, Jack and I, have started our very own garden. It has definitely monopolized our last few weeks, but I have found some time for some spring baking, which you will see below.
The garden started out as a minor project in our eyes, but what has developed is a small indoor farm (for right now!). This is all in addition to the CSA we joined.! We now have 3 different types of tomatoes, including the Mortgage Lifter which is a heirloom variety, growing, string beans, French beans, zucchini, pumpkins, celery, and are waiting to plant the onions, cucumbers, and carrots straight in the ground after the last frost. Our prized plant though-the peas! They shot right up out of the makeshift planters that we made out of egg cartons. They are about 4-5 inches tall after almost 10 days of being planted.
The planting of most seeds was finished about a week ago, but that was just the beginning. There were weeds to pull, compost to be bought, and fences to be put together. Needless to say we had our work cut out for us, but in the end, it will hopefully all be worth it. If anything, it is certainly self-satisfying, and keeps us busy, and the cat happy playing in the garden. This past Sunday was totally devoted to garden work, and I even spread some Chicken compost! The highlight of the day was not the garden though, rather, it was the fresh grown asparagus we were able to find at a local farm. The vegetable was so tender and fresh, and roasted beautiful with minimal effort. I highly recommend purchasing some soon! Ours was picked fresh that morning.
To celebrate both the ending of the root vegetable season and the beginning of spring, we dined on roasted asparagus, roasted pureed parsnips, and free range chicken for dinner that night. It was followed by a dessert of lime yogurt cake taken from Smitten Kitchen, but with a vanilla glaze instead of a berry glaze. Delicious!
Prior to the garden work though, and even this past weekend, I was able to visit a friend in my old city to help celebrate her upcoming marriage. I had the fabulous chance of staying with one of my friends and so, I decided to make some spring cookies and wrap them up very pretty. Needless to say, I am sure they crumbled a little bit on the 6-hour car ride… O well!
In any case, happy spring! Enjoy this lovely season and all of the fresh fruits and veggies that accompany it!
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