Portents of Spring

This week so far has included some of my favorite portents of spring. First was weather warm enough to start tapping the maple trees for sap. Last year Donald and I tapped our trees for the first time and even when imperfect the joy of having home-made waffles with syrup that you boiled down yourself is so special. Second was Fat Tuesday and the beginning of Lent. Though neither of us were raised Catholic both sides of my family have strong Catholic roots and so over the years it just kind of slipped into my personal traditions of observing the period of Lent as a time for reflection and restraint. This year once again I have given up frivolous spending. It means no eating out for the entire 40 days of lent and no big indulgences. The basics of food and bills and such will still get paid for but the rest is set aside in savings. The nice thing is that my new years resolution fits nicely with the "fiscal fast" concept. This week's menu is:

Monday: Roast Salmon with Green Salad and Carrot-Fennel Rice
Tuesday: Spanish Mushrooms with Rice and Lentils
Wednesday: Pot Pies
Thursday: Roast Chicken with Asparagus and Mashed Potatoes
Friday: Chili
Saturday: Ash will fend for herself
Sunday: Leftovers

Changing up my habits

So as part of my goals to have a menu and do more cooking another goal has emerged. Over the last year I got into the habit of just doing my grocery shopping at the local Kroger. It was easy to get into the habit and I only had to go to one store. Part of this was due to the fact that Donald was out of work and so money was tight, but it was also just me not taking the time to use my local food-shed and it's resources. During the summer we get a full CSA share from Valley Family Farm, and so we are usually pretty good in the summer, but during the winter I don't always make as much of an effort to support my local farmers. But this weekend Donald and I undertook a household improvement project of building a new pantry. It was an exercise in repurposing badly used space. When we moved in to the house the space was a hallway/coat closet. Over time it just became a junk closet where everything and anything could be put. So armed with a tape measure, hammer, circular saw, and power drill we set out to turn a junk closet into the pantry of my dreams. And a strange thing happened while we were doing the construction project. I realized that I was spending more money outside of my local food-shed then I was in it. And so I decided to change. This week was week one of my shopping local sources personal challenge. As the person who does the shopping and menu planning most weeks I figure if anyone is going to make a noticeable difference in this area, it's going to be me. So I made my list and got most of my shopping done at the Co-Op (where everyone in my house has a membership), with the exception of a couple pieces of meat. Those I will be getting later this week - fresh chorizo from Dos Hermanos market in downtown Ypsilanti, and pork chops from Sparrow Market. So with all that local foodie goodness what's on the menu this week?

Monday: Bacon-Asparagus Quiche with Green Salad
Tuesday: Minestrone Soup
Wednesday: Black Beans & Rice
Thursday: Eating out, going to see Battlefield Band at the Ark
Friday: Falafel
Saturday: Brown Rice Pilaf and Pork Chops
Sunday: Leftovers

And so I leave you with a view of my new pantry, as I go off to re-organize said pantry and run the dishwasher and laundry.

Asparagus

I am a huge fan of asparagus. Mostly any way that you prepare it (with the exception of commercially canned asparagus - it's the texture) I am in love with this vegetable. We are in the middle of the very brief season for asparagus here in Michigan and so I went about taking advantage of it. I got 10 pounds of asparagus and pickled most of it. As my father is quick to point out, it just isn't a really great Bloody Mary without a great pickled vegetable, and pickled asparagus is always a winner. I did 5 pints of spicy, 5 pints of plain pickled, and I canned a quart of pieces that was just plain - not pickled. Overall I am pretty pleased with my effort and am looking forward to those Bloody Marys this summer as a great cooler.



Fresh


Blanched


Canned


And a bonus just in case you don't have a good bar book handy (but you really should) - a recipe for a basic Bloody Mary. Feel free to tweek to taste!

Bloody Mary (From the Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide)
1 1/2 oz Vodka
3 oz Tomato Juice
1 dash Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 drops Tabasco Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Shake with ice and strain into ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wedge, celery, or pickled veg. Drink and Enjoy!