first day of spring (?)

Woke up here in Philly to about an inch of snow on the ground to welcome the first day of spring. Totally unexpected, there was no forecast for snow and I didn't cover anything up last night. A little snow on the bok choi and lettuce won't harm them. The sun is shining and this snow will be completely melted away in an hour from now. You never know what to expect with early season gardening, and that's what makes it fun!


bok choi 3.20.2009


lettuce 3.20.2009

Irish Potatoes...

I have lived in the Philadelphia area my whole life and never realized that Irish Potatoes were a local Philly thing. A friend of mine emailed me on St Patty's day with a link to an Irish Potato recipe and asking what the heck they were? What? You've never heard of Irish Potatoes? I thought everybody knew about these. They show up all over the place during the month of March. They are nothing more than Coconut, sugar, a bit of cream cheese as binder, and a roll in cinnamon. How could they not be delicious?

My favorite store brand is Oh Ryan's, who have been in business since 1989. This year my daughter decided to make some at home, and the results are in the bowl in the photo above. They might not be as pretty as the commercial variety, but they were every bit as yummy!

Oh Ryan's Irish Potatoes

How to make your own Irish Potatoes

yes indeed!

This morning I stopped at Whole Foods for my coffee, which is a pain in the neck because you have to buy a cup first and then go get the coffee, and then go back to the cashier if you decide to buy anything else. They say this is because people were helping themselves to coffee and then drinking it while they shopped and then never paying for the coffee. (people suck!)

So on my second trip to the checkout this morning the cashier was wearing one of these Arugula Now! buttons. I just smiled to myself and thought "yes, Arugula Now!... I have lot's of Arugula... right now... growing in my garden... and I don't need to buy any! "

sundays are for chilling out...

kitchen herb garden

I always buy a few potted herbs to tide me over until I can start picking them fresh from the garden. I dry out a large amount of my herbs to use throughout the winter, but nothing compares to freshly snipped leaves of oregano or tarragon added to an omelet or fresh basil in a curry dish. And, they just look great sitting in the window sill!

saturdays are for tending herbs...

It is so heartening to walk through the herb garden in early March and see tiny shoots of green among the old stalks and brown oak leaves! It is the surest sign of spring, and the promise of wonderful cooking flavors to come. Here is what I found today after some pruning and cleaning up in the herb garden...

french tarragon 3.14.2009


chives 3.14.2009


italian oregano 3.14.2009