Spring has been slow to arrive this year, but we are undeniably here. This week, ice out at Joe’s Pond, the definitive sign we are well into Vermont spring, happened at 6:21 a.m. on Thursday. The lottery ($1 a ticket) draws contestants from all over the world, and serves as a good fundraiser for the pond’s association. The money collected is split between the lucky guessers of when the ice will melt and send the clock into the pond’s depths (recording the exact time of course) and the pond association that uses it for conservation of the water and area. It’s a great late winter diversion.
Signs of spring all around
While the ice was slowly melting at the pond, the grass greened up, daffodils started blooming, birds returned, and all kinds of other wonderful sprouts appeared in the gardens and woods. At dusk, the peepers are out again, adding their delightful music to the end of day. What a pleasant sound. The annual migration of our little salamanders was well under way in the wet weather last week, and thus brightly vested crossing guards were in place to protect them on certain roads where they often pass. Yes, we stop traffic for salamanders, and even have salamander crossing signs.
First harvest
With the rain (and I’ll not complain), getting the gardens in shape has been slow work, but I was excited to cut my first chives. Last fall, I started a new chive bed with $1 plants I got at the very end of the season, tucked them in just before snowfall, and said a little garden prayer. They all survived, so I suspect I’ll have them always, chives being as hard as they are. I planted my first wave of peas, so I’ll be happy with this week’s rain that is already starting. My asparagus is not up yet, but I’m excited because this is year three and I actually get to pick and eat it! I’m already planning the Hollandaise sauce, or maybe a special homemade mayonnaise. Something delicious, after I’ve sampled a few raw straight from the garden bed. Nothing better.
Let’s fire up the pizza oven
Another sign of spring was the firing up of our pizza oven for the first time on Friday. Our granddaughter and friends from college visited this weekend and requested homemade pizza. So I make my favorite sourdough pizza crust, a recipe courtesy of Terrie at Comfort du Jour, and fussed with a bunch of toppings. It was great fun, and the pizza, awesome as usual. Luckily, it had stopped raining, and turned a very balmy 70 degrees while we cooked. Shirt sleeves, here we come!
Something from two seasons
With the change of seasons came the last winter farmers market until they start up outside next month. I stocked up on a few things, bought some little treats for lunch, and scored the first new French breakfast radishes of the year. With spinach, arugula, some kale rabe, and fresh herbs, we’ll feast on a lovely local salad tonight. To our delight, the bread delivered from O Bakery was still warm, so, after shopping, six of us literally stood in the parking lot and ripped off soft chunks of sourdough cheddar ciabatta to consume on the spot, laughing all the way! The cheese was still warm and oozing on the inside, and there were crispy cheese bits on the outside. A most delicious and rewarding communion. None of the loaf made it home except for a small piece I saved for my husband, so no photos of this delightful loaf.
Farm stands opening up
There’s still plenty of stored winter produce around, so we’ll keep using those things up until newer crops come in full force; while a couple of farm stands stay open all winter, the rest will all be open soon, ready to offer up their earliest crops, and the season begins.
A little Greek inspiration
We’ve had a lot of cabbage lately, but I was intrigued by a recipe from Diane Kochilas where she roasted large wedges of Napa cabbage and made a spicy side dish with lemon and some Greek herbs and garnished with pomegranate seeds. No pomegranates to be found, so we moved in a totally different direction and made a simple sauce with shallots, lemon, and arugula to brighten it up. I decided to cut full circles from the cabbage that I thought would flop open like a blooming onion, and it sort of did, very pretty. It was really tasty, and I’ll definitely keep this in early spring rotation.
The sauce
The best part of the dish though was the arugula sauce! I think I could put that on just about anything. It has a beautiful lemon flavor, with the spiciness of the arugula shining through.
Happy spring! Let’s go out and dig in the dirt.
It’s time to get our fingernails dirty and dig in the earth. Ah, the promise of this coming gardening season. Right now, no bugs, no pests, no weeds (well, a few already), no watering, and no crop failures. We’ll see how the year unfolds.
Blooming Cabbage Roses with Arugula Lemon Sauce
The cabbage:
- One head Napa cabbage
- Olive oil
- Sweet paprika
- Crushed fennel seeds
The Sauce:
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- One large handful of arugula
- Five or six ice cubes
Slice the cabbage crosswise into four or five rings. Carefully place on an oiled baking pan. Spritz them with olive oil, then sprinkle with a little sweet Hungarian paprika, crushed fennel seeds, and some salt and pepper, to taste.
Place in a hot oven, 400 degrees, and bake until the cabbage is tender and the edges starting to brow nicely. You should turn the pan after about 15 minutes so it will roast evenly.
While cooking, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, sauté the shallot and garlic in about two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Once softened, add the zest and lemon, then toss in the arugula, and season with salt and pepper. Let this cook just until the arugula has wilted and place in a blender. Immediately add three ice cubes (this will set the color and thin the sauce, a Jacques Pepin trick) and process on high, then toss in the next two or even three cubes until you have the consistency you desire. Place in a bowl, then top with some freshly snipped chives, if you have them. If you don’t have arugula, you can substitute any favorite green with some flavor depth, watercress, dandelion greens (are they growing in your back yard yet?) or if you want a milder flavor, you can use parsley.
Once the cabbage is cooked, place on a serving platter (you might have to neaten up the leaves a little to make the blooms if they have flopped a lot) and dollop the sauce on top. Any leftover sauce will keep for a few days refrigerated.
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Oh, but this was a fun post, Dorothy! You mean a “real” pizza oven! It is beautiful and so was the pizza. I truly enjoyed the photo of all the friends around the pizza prep! I was just reading an item this morning about Vermont being the greenest state in terms of your conservation and care for the land, water, and air. You are a good steward of your state!
Thanks! We try hard to be good stewards, even to the smallest creatures!
I got in a hurry–that was me who just posted.
You need Vermont time!
Fun times ahead as Spring advances. Sounds like you have the ‘garden’ in hand – oh the thrill of harvest… Love all your images, and that Napa cabbage and sauce is another keeper.
Thanks Carolyn! We really enjoyed this, and the two warm days this weekend!
This looks so very tasty and fresh!
We really enjoyed it! Thanks!
I love all cabbage but that sauce!
Loved the sauce, and it’s good on lots of things!
I can’t wait to shop 🙂
Oh that look so good and Terrie’s dough looks delish. What a happy, fun bunch you are; here’s to Spring! 💕
Cheers!
Oh how fun! Love that your pond makes money from around the world! Great recipe. Nice post. Spring is pretty wonderful.
It’s the best! All about possibility!
The spirit of Spring is alive and about. Love the pizza making! I’m looking forward to it and all the herb sauces, pesto’s and chimichurri’s that make everything burst with flavors. Well done!
Thanks Jan! It begins, and not a moment too soon!
I never think of cabbage this way but need to expand my taste buds!
It was really good, and the husband loved it!
The cabbage roses look delicious, I love arugula and your use of it here, yum! I bet your granddaughter and her friends had an absolute blast making pizza with you, too. What could be better?!
Nothing better than cooking with the ones you love!
WOW! Great post, really enjoyed the read. Loved the Salamander crossing and the help for them. Now, that cabbage looks just wonderful. The Pizza oven looks like it will get some good use in the coming days. As I sit and write we have a loud thunderstorm approaching!! Must check that the windows are shut!
I love the sounds of a thunderstorm! Well, as long as I can count the seconds and it’s still a ways off!
What a nice looking pizza oven! Did you build the pizza oven or buy a kit?
The cabbage rose looks pretty and the arugula sauce sounds delicious.
Thank you Julia! The oven was a kit. It took forever to build, but it is done! And, it’s been lots of fun.
It looks really nice and it seems to work well for you. Do you bake bread in it? I want a wood-fired but Bruce seems to think the oven works well enough. If I let him get a tractor, I should get a wood-fired oven, right? 😆
I think fair is fair, a tractor and an outside oven. Perfect.
I am having a blacksmith create a door so that I can bake bread in the oven, the kit did not have a door!
Wow!! No door! I hope it works well.
It works great for pizza because it only takes a few minutes to cook, but with bread it would cool off too soon.
The ones I’ve seen also used to bake bread have a door. I wonder if a cast-iron Dutch oven with legs and a top you can put coals on would work? I see YouTube channels of campers doing that. It seems like a lot of work to keep everything at the right temp.
I hope you get your door soon.
You know, that might be worth trying! I’ve actually made bread that way while camping and it turned out great! Thanks for the idea!
Being born in northern Europe cabbage has naturally been on the agenda since childhood . . . perchance not quite as popular here in Australia (bar in coleslaw) but your fun recipe does make one think of having it more often again . . .
It was fun to make Eha! A different way to roast and serve.
What a creative dish! And a fun way to get a little cabbage on the plate.
It was fun, and pretty to look at too!
Wow, look at that incredible pizza oven! It really looks amazing, and the pizza itself looks absolutely delicious. I loved seeing everyone having a good time together in the kitchen. The cabbage also looks tasty! Oh, and when I was in Ohio, we did the same thing—stopping traffic to let the Salamanders cross. (Mating season?) It’s such a special memory.
You got to help those little critters along! It’s quite a site as well, usually on a drizzly night. Spring at its best!
Spring has come to Maine, too! That pizza looks wicked good. What a treat! And that cabbage sounds scrummy. Jacques Pepin is a genius.
He really is!!!! Thanks and happy spring!
This post wonderfully describes the excitement that builds as spring is anticipated and then arrives. I love the idea of having a lottery for when the ice goes out on the pond. What a fun fundraiser! I keep track of when the ice goes out on a small lake near me, and use it as a measure of whether we are having an early or late spring in any given year, but I really like the idea of collectively engaging others watching for when the ice goes.
It’s become quite a state-wide ritual! We know the evening news will carry the ice-out time and we look forward to it.
Willow tree is trying to bud. Love that early spring green!
You have the best recipes, and I agree make a mess in the kitchen and have fun!
It’s the only way Mary!
I’m sure you’re a big hit with the grandchildren. The pizza oven is great, I’m sure.
The pizza oven has been a big draw, and they don’t even notice I make a whole grain crust and use lots of veggies and low-fat cheese!
I don’t even like cabbage but you’re making my mouth water. I love the back stories as usual. How fabulous your granddaughters stops in with friends from college for pizza. If I am ever so lucky I will be over the moon. And this, “add three ice cubes, this will set the color and thin the sauce” so clever. It sounds like your weather is finally warming up and your garden is taking shape. Crazy how different the weather is from one state to another. Hope all is well Dorothy, hugs, C
Thanks Cheryl! I love having the grandkids and their friends here. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to know them well and look forward to the visits. They are a close little bunch, and since they are all New England based, will remain so for a long time, I’m sure!