Menu Planning for March 2019

In like a lion, out like a lamb…..
Weather is a HUGE factor in this month and it can impact the availability of California berries, stonefruit and lettuces – it’s a delicate balance between too much rain and that touch of hail or spring snow that might ruin the entire upcoming harvest.

Plan for March:
Full Moon on March 20th is called the Worm Moon.

Plan Ahead for April:
Full Moon on April 19th is called the Pink Moon.
National Garden Month, National Frog Month and National Poetry month!!
Flowers of April: Daisy and Sweet Pea

Full-flavored field rhubarb and artichokes are beginning to arrive – fresh California asparagus becomes abundant, fiddlehead ferns start as the snow melts (I prefer the Eastern fiddleheads that are about a month behind in harvest – April) and miner’s lettuce pokes through in areas with high moisture and some sunshine. The first peas and baby carrots with a little butter and mint, the first of the torpedo onions, ramps and morels begin to creep into the marketplace.

You can count on the following ingredients to fuel a strong spring menu: Carrots, Celeriac, most of the Chicories, Kales, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Nettles, Sweet Onions, Sugar Snap Peas, Radishes, Bloomsdale Spinach and Turnips Grapefruit, Kiwi, Kumquat, Meyer Lemons, Blood Oranges, Star Fruit and Strawberries. Miner’s lettuce starts to peek through the snow in south facing slopes and think about using wood sorrel as a fun St. Patrick’s Day accent – a shamrock-looking lemony tasting green with yellow flowers is a fun addition to salads and to use as an edible plate garnish.

Start phasing out Bergamot and Seville oranges (the sour ones), cocktail grapefruit, Buddha’s hand and Chanterelles as this is usually their last month. Other items that start waning this month are Brussels sprouts, Puntarelle, Cardone and Salsify.

For Mardi Gras, Rex, the King of Carnival, selected the Mardi Gras colors in 1892 and assigned meaning to the three of them: purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. Mardi Gras foods are a wonderful part of the culture and no Mardi Gras celebration is complete without a King Cake, also known as Twelfth Night Cake. This cake is actually sweetened yeast bread baked in a ring shape. The cake is frosted with gold, green, and purple icing. Although this cake is colorful and tasty, the real fun hides within the cake as the baker of each King Cake has hidden a special token inside. The token is a dried red bean or a figurine of a baby, representing the Christ child. When the cake is cut and shared, the finder of the hidden treasure is said to enjoy good luck for the coming year. The lucky recipient may also be expected to bake the King Cake or throw the Mardi Gras party for the following year!

Remember that the items in BOLD will prove to usually be better values as they are in their peak harvest period.