Spring has already lightened up our lives with longer hours of daylight, less rain, and trading in the winter coat for a warm sweater or light jacket. The greens look brighter, the blues bluer. Take advantage of spring, uncover from your winter rituals, and start lightening up your days. Spring occurs but once a year.
FIDDLE HEADS – FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY
If you want to taste the new growth of spring, fiddleheads are your thing. These tightly curled fern fronds are available for only a short time. Their flavour profile touches on grassy and fresh with a hint of nuttiness similar to that of asparagus.
Chock-full of Vitamins A and C, fiddleheads are a nutritional powerhouse rich in antioxidants and a great source of fibre and omega-3 fatty acids.
Give them a good wash and trim any woody ends. Boil in a pot of lightly salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain. Toss with lemon juice, olive oil, capers, and salt, and roast at 450º F for 8–12 minutes or until slightly toasted. These are so good you will want to eat them straight from the roasting pan.
COCKTAIL HOUR
We are told we should be drinking more water each day. But water can be . . . boring. Not anymore. Flavoured water adds just enough taste to make you crave drinking your H2O. Add cucumber and mint to your filtered water for a refreshing drink throughout the day. Other great options are lemon and mint, orange slices, melon, or your favourite fruit and herb combination.
These vibrant, fresh combinations of fruits, vegetables, and herbs don’t have to stop at water. Cocktail hour could use a freshening up as well. Whether you enjoy your cocktail with or without alcohol is up to you. Either way, it’s time for a change. Get inspired by all the great craft alcohols and fresh ingredients to elevate your glass.
Peeled cucumber and mint roughly muddled together, lime, sweetener of choice, your favourite gin, ice—shake and strain. This is also fantastic with celery juice. Substitute soda water for the alcohol if you don’t imbibe.
LIGHTEN UP
Stews, roasts with mashed potatoes, and creamy soups are warm and satisfy our need to hunker down in winter. Spring is the time to bring back lighter fare.
How about chicken broth with peas, asparagus, and bok choy? You can freshen up your roasted asparagus with lemon and mint.
If you are still craving a rich, epicurean delight, look no further than a pot of creamy fiddlehead soup. Spring taste, winter comfort.
FRESH DESSERTS
While cakes, brownies, and apple pie will always have a place at the table, spring is time to grab some freshly cut rhubarb and a pint of strawberries and whip up a quick and easy crisp. It’s just as easy to make for one as it is for a party (we’ll get there again). A quick and simple rhubarb galette or the bright, fresh taste of a lemon-blueberry pound cake are all fresh ways to spring forward your desserts.
FARMER’S MARKETS – COMING SOON!
Are you excited to go to Sechelt on Saturday mornings and see what the farmers have grown for you? They have been hard at work planting and tending to their young fruits and vegetables with the sole purpose of providing us with the most delicious, healthy, and fresh foods. The market will open on April 3. While Covid restrictions allow only food producers, we hope to see our other favourite artisans back later in the summer.
SPRING CLEAN
Time for a warm-weather refresh. Whether you need a good top-to-bottom spring clean or just a reshuffling from winter to spring, take this time to open the windows and let the fresh air swirl through the house. Search out environmentally friendly cleaning products or make your own. A simple all-purpose cleaner recipe: soak orange peels in white vinegar for two weeks, strain, remove the peels, add a 1:1 ratio of orange-vinegar to water in a spray bottle and clean up.
WELLBEING
We’ve had a lot of rainy days to keep us inside by the fire, but daylight is getting longer. We don’t have to grab our reflective jacket to go for a walk at 4:00 pm anymore. It’s warmer and drier, and there is plenty of social distancing on a walk.
With the gardening centres coming out of hibernation, we can grab early-blooming plants and start dressing up our flower pots and cleaning up our garden, amending the soil, ordering seeds, and preparing our gardens for the hard-working, fruitful summer season ahead.
Spring has sprung. Let’s move from binge-watching to binge-doing!
