Category: Spring

Wilted Dandelion Greens

A little bit of bacon and a good spoonful of red wine vinegar bring balance to dandelion greens’ bitterness in this simple springtime side dish. It’s delicious partnered with roasted chicken and whipped potatoes. 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 4 ounces bacon, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 shallot, minced 1/2 teaspoon crushed red…


Springtime Foraging: Eat Your Weeds

As the temperature warms and the days grow longer, the earth seems to awaken with new life. Spring arrives with all its promises of growth and new beginnings. It’s also a prime season for foraging, as wild greens emerge from the slumber of winter. While forests and other untamed places are optimal for seasonal foraging…


Arugula, Apple, and Walnut Salad

This salad is perched between winter and spring, with arugula’s peppery hot notes tamed by slices of tart apple and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Walnuts are a perfect complement to arugula and add a pleasant crunchy note. I shower the salad with ricotta salata, aged ricotta. The smoked variety is typical of the Veneto…


An Ode to Arugula

Tortellini with cream and prosciutto, bow-tie pasta with crab meat, pennette with vodka and salmon, beef filet with green pepper, veal escalopes with mushrooms, mayonnaise and gelatin, arugula always and everywhere. When I think of food in Italy the ’80s, these are the first images to come to mind. I am an ’80s girl through and…


Pasta With Arugula Pesto

To make this pesto, all you need is a bunch of arugula, some excellent extra virgin olive oil (even better if delicately peppery, to match arugula’s bite), walnuts, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. As you can see, this is a very short list of ingredients, but make sure to choose good quality ones. Read the recipe…


A Pasta Spring Fling

Morels, asparagus, and peas team up in this quintessential springtime pasta dish. Earthy mushrooms marry well with early asparagus and sweet peas. Famously delicious in sauces, risottos, and pasta, these ingredients require little else except a nap of cream and a sprinkling of cheese to bind them together, resulting in an easy yet elegant seasonal…


Springtime Resolutions: Why Spring Is a Great Time to Set New Goals

Spring is in the air. There’s more daylight and warm sunshine to go around, birds are chirping away, and buds are beginning to appear. Back in January, when it was cold and dark and we were still recovering from the holidays, many of us laid out a vision for the new year ahead, defined some…


Worm Moon Signals Return of Spring

The Worm Moon, the last full moon of winter, peaked over the United States early Friday, as the Northern Hemisphere prepared to usher in spring. An Associated Press photographer watched the moon rise near an illuminated Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Worm Moon was…


Spring Awakens

A solar term is a period of about two weeks and is based on the sun’s position in the zodiac. Solar terms form the traditional Chinese calendar system. The calendar follows the ancient Chinese belief that living in accordance with nature will enable one to live a harmonious life. This article series explores each of…


It’s Maple Syrup Season! How to Tap and Boil Your Own

A sure sign of spring is the sight of maple syrup buckets on the sides of sugar maple trees. Early settlers found that Native Americans slashed trees to collect the sap. The sap was gathered into hollowed-out logs. Freezing temperatures caused ice to form, which was removed as pure water, thus concentrating the sap. Hot…