I have lived and cooked in the Midwest for 30 years now. Winters are long, cold and dreary. Chefs and home cooks are so impatient for a new season that we abide by an astronomical event, the vernal equinox, rather than the weather. We insist that spring arrives in late March, on that date when night and day are of equal length. Regardless of the temperature, or lack of local produce in the market, we put the illusion of spring on the menu.
This time of year should be considered separately, appreciated as a season in its own right. Winter is over, but it still lingers. Spring flirts, but has not yet arrived. An inspired menu or dish should capture this particular time when we feel winter and spring in equal measure. Nature can be an inspiration, a teacher, and a guiding force. Ingredients, flavors, cooking methods, and serving pieces can all be used to reflect this time of year and to pay tribute to the season.
April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
The Wasteland, T.S. Eliot
April may be the cruelest month, but it also leads the way to May.
Another beautifuly written article. Thanks for taking the effort to provide this for all your fans out here!
This is so true! This time of year should absolutely be it’s own season! On Monday we walked to daycare in the snow and on Wednesday we stopped at the park on the way home because it was 60 degrees outside. On our walks we’ve been looking for “signs of spring” and the kids are so excited to find budding trees, birds’ nests and daffodils in full bloom. I’m going to tell my four year old, Joseph, that asparagus is a sign of spring and enlist his help in making your frittata recipe this weekend. Thanks for sharing these comfy yet spring-inspired recipes!
What a fabulous issue- LOVE it! Your personal reflections on “the season in between,” the recipes/ideas, as well as the photos are all a wonderful treat as we slowly transition from winter to spring. Kudos!
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Beautiful writing, Lisa. Your chosen words, sentences and phrasing are terse and to the point like haiku. Your hard work to put forth this interseasonal Cooks Gazette brings joy and inspiration to me as a reader/cook. Thank you very much!
I always want to devour everything in your photos and your writing is so evocative of the food that I can almost taste it from just reading. Cheers for my favorite chef and food writer!
Yours is not only a Labor of Love in the preparation of food but you have a Burning Desire to bring this knowledge and joy to the table of so many people. A Crowning Achievement indeed. Your writing content is superb,the photography breathtaking….. what more can I say?
Yes Lisa, the accolades are flowing…as they should be! Thank you so much.
Lisa, your photos are always so gorgeous and uplifting! You hit the nail on the head about how we are all feeling – spring is so slow to come, and we keep getting these tantalizing hints, but just enough to make us long for flowers and sunshine. You write so beautifully, it’s always a joy to read the Gazette!
A little late to getting around to reading this issue of the Gazette—I am just like Spring you talk about in this gorgeous issue. I am always blown away by the information, the writing and photography. It is so poetic and delicious looking I want to drop everything and dive into your recipes! I am in awe and admiration.