Anna Blume

Hmmm....I thought that since xcanuck is now haunting Kerrytown on weekends, no one here goes to this market anymore. Just in case, please note that tomorrow and the following Saturday, May 12, the market relocates to its standard, temporary other address: The Gateway Plaza, aka parking lot on the corner of Georgia Ave and Colesville, behind Panera Bread and across the street from Ray's Classic. Evensong's Julie Stinar will be bringing her first spring chickens to market: Cornish. (Poulet Rouge the following week.) Not many, so those arriving closer to 9 than 10 might be lucky.

After a large breakfast on a steamy day, it will be late, but my first batch of what's-her-face's bbq sauce has reached the half-way point in simmering. Since I use Ancho chilies for other things and didn't see them in powdered form at Bestworld, I just toasted a trio until they puffed up and ultimately, seeded and tore up two to steep in heated apple cider, whirling the lot in the Vitamix before getting the rest into a pot. Half the amount of ground pepper since who knows where my white peppercorns are, not me, so subbed sharper, unripe black. When ready, it will moisten Eco-Friendly's pulled pork on a potato roll with a kobu turnip, carrot and spring onion slaw. Strawberry smoothie on side, maybe with mango and fresh orange juice if I can rid the blender's plastic of chili-tingle.

Just a quick note: Clear Spring Creamery intends to join the market tomorrow, the first week in May, so there will be milk to drink and cream or yogurt to go with the strawberries from Garners, Sand Hill and Anchor Nursery.

That's what I wanted to know, too, since the store in my old hood which has what I consider a somewhat better produce section and greater selection of dry goods* was still called Best Way in March. *Snap judgment, midweek. Without a doubt, Bestworld in Mt. Pleasant has a much hipper, smarter crowd at the checkout.

Bump. Has anyone gone recently? I just saw Peter (People's Bao, now this place) this past weekend in Silver Spring and got the impression that things were bopping.

Pizza bianca! Traditionally, it's made simply with garlic, coarse salt, olive oil and herbs. However, two things FWIW: 1) this is a birthday dinner for the 70-year-old mother, not the vegan SIS, so go where you think the guest of honor would be happiest within your price range. Calling Tabard Inn ahead to request something more substantial than an assortment of the day's vegetables for the vegan with suggestions that slightly modify what's already on the menu might work. For example, they offer lentils in soup and as a side dish, I would imagine. Pasta could be made without eggs--even if it means a high-quality packaged, vs. house-made noodle. That's about all you can do for an adult who has most likely been in this situation many, many times before and knows how best to cope. (Give her directions to Amsterdam Falafel for a late lunch beforehand.) 2) Since Nora's not within your price range for a large party, it's off the list. As someone who's eaten there just a few months ago, I can say that even though the restaurant is no longer on anyone's radar--in part, because its insistence on local, organic, seasonal ingredients is now standard vs. innovative--I thoroughly enjoyed a delicious meal. Nothing particularly jazzy, lots of uncomplicated comfort foods somewhere in between Europe, Northern California and Columbus, Ohio, beautifully presented and totally not scary. Plus, I really wished I had the stand-out vegan option that Don raved about elsewhere: an exquisite tofu hot pot.

Haven't been for a while, but when the Rockville location opened, unlike JPW, I thought their basic cheese pizza yummy. Floppy, but perfectly acid and gooey.

I do, but other than during HS trips to Sarasota to share Early Bird specials with grandparents, I never could get excited about salad bars... To give WFM its props, there are plenty of raw ingredients that are simply prepared that you could season on your own. I find that when in a pinch to find something decent and quick, my best bet is a small bowl of chili, not filled to the brim. I asked for permission and was granted right to top it with chopped red onion, feta and scallion or cilantro (forget). Cashier gave me a funny look, but with small piece of cornbread or roll and an orange, it works for me.

Thanks, all. It was an absolutely glorious day, so I packed a lunch, walked over to Rock Creek Park and found a bench near the water. Strolled through woods, perched on a rock in the middle of the creek and read some pretty wonderful essays, blissful that we live in city where one can pretend one does not given surroundings. Hiked up dales and down. Saw where the first chipmunk I've seen in years hides...then another. Swooping wings of predatory bird that perched in a tree only yards away and virtually disappeared into the bark, except for profile. Horse dropping trails. Horses. Dogs. Yoga enthusiasts doing the down dog and saluting the sun on perimeters of corral. Pink blossoms on tree, nightshade-like. No morels, alas. Four hours later, phone in pocket... Not in the mood for coffee or politics, headed to CVS where Haagen Das was on sale, and with Thursday's quart of ripe, local strawberries back home, a domestic interlude ensued.

Great bench, rock in creek, hike. Effect of soba noodles wans. Near exit to 16th & MO, NW w about $18 & smarttrip card in bookbag. Ideas? Thanks.

Case in point. Salad for dinner, not protein-driven [no nuts, not a cliché]. ******************** Braised half of a French-cut chicken breast Morel cream sauce w snipped chives Green garlic, spring onions, white wine, Meyer lemon peel, a little broth.... Brown rice pilaf Asparagus White from Pays d'Oc Strawberries from California

After what Lionel and Jean would call a fry-up for breakfast (no tinned beans or soggy tomato, but voluminous and beholden to grease), and a late mug of a riff on Lulu's garlicky French lentil soup (love Vitamix!!) sipped for lunch, an lperry sort of a dinner: Left side of plate: Raw Tuscan kale salad w thyme-scented marinaded feta, black bits of oil-cured olives and squishy yellow, slow-roasted Italian plum tomatoes. Right side: Shreds of raw, red beets w slivered, supremed Tarroco orange, snipped chives and chiffonade of mint. Thick slab of Puglese, toasted to mop up Good Chianti, not quite vinegary but N.B. The Tarroco orange was fantastic. Purchased at Friendship Hts Safeway. Pretty and sweet as the ones I've had on winter mornings spent over the course of many years in cold kitchens not far from their source.

Okay, folks, it's time to start this thing over again and see if we can keep it up throughout the year. First things first: Watercress--foraged from streams and whatnot since late March Stinging nettles--ditto Ramps, same Asparagus--around for three weeks now, though quantities severely limited. Details below Pea vines, but no grown-up peas yet Herbs growing in diversity, including chives, parsley, thyme, sage and dill Spring onions (several weeks) Leeks (ditto) Green garlic, though no scapes yet As of this week, strawberries, but this is an anomaly Greenhouses are producing heirloom varieties of tomatoes, including big and small, cherry varieties. Same on cucumbers, Persian and otherwise. Starter plants abound. N.B. As a reminder for future reference, this is a very dry season with early drought-like conditions. A prolonged, June/July type spell hit us early, coaxing fruit trees bearing early varieties to bloom prematurely. A severe dip in nocturnal temperatures followed w a frost for the past three weeks. Asparagus in some parts continues to grow, then freeze. Too dry for much in the way of a morel around here, though the fungus seems to be thriving in places like Michigan.

First strawberry shortcake of the season and one of best ever despite the fact that it's only April! A farm in Southern Virginia, Garners brought several flats of fine strawberries to Penn Quarter yesterday. Best eaten straight away, no refrigeration, but quite good macerated the next day on top of a warm buttermilk biscuits w freshly whipped cream. ****************** Porcupine, I think you may be right about the heavy cream. At least, I bought half a pint from Clear Spring Creamery and since I couldn't find the metal whisks for my hand-mixer, I beat about 3 oz. by hand w a fork. It took only 5 minutes in a frozen metal bowl, and while I am sure the low volume is also a factor, the cream was denser than I would have liked, if a strikingly yellow hue and quite flavorful. (I usually just cook with the cream and am never bothered by fat content since I simply use less of it than I would other creams.) Trickling Springs buttermilk (Fresh Friends or whatever the new brand name is) and a local AP flour w extra bran in it (PA, purchased at the Takoma Park food co-op).

Why doesn't the web site list hours or location? Only found telephone number and menu. Is Facebook replacing restaurants' own web sites?

Ecco la primavera! Asparagus risotto with green garlic, spring onions, ramps, chives, the last of this winter's homemade stock and shitakes to stand in for morels. Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc. Leftovers to become fritters beside some of Jamie's duck sausage later in the week.

Huge salad of blanched Red Russian kale florets, sizzled red spring onions, slivers of Tuscan kale, Irish brown bread as croutons anchovies and burrata. Champagne mango. And later, four squares of Politically Correct chocolate (Divine, Dark with Mint--like Girl Scout cookies only better) and half a cup of coffee.

Red grapefruit mixed with oversized Driscoll strawberry and a little sugar Coffee with Clear Spring Creamline milk French toast made from brioche Wild blueberries nuked with maple syrup Dab of Greek-style yogurt from Blue Ridge Dairy

Okay, so we'll be the prelude to Sonata. I'm starting out simply by amping up the amount of exercise I get each week this month before I get into serious denial. After all, I still have quite a bit of Red Apron's braised pork belly in the freezer and I bought a half pint of cream from Clear Spring (note singular form, Porcupine; yes, I read your posts religiously ) on Sunday. There are also some frozen unpitted sour cherries to go into a clafouti or two. This morning I took a crosstown bus from an ugly stretch of my not quite hipified neighborhood to Rock Creek Park and allowed myself to get lost until it was time to go home and make lunch. Flowering dogwood, a woman clearing lily weed from a community garden plot, white and purple violets...

Asparagus can be found at local farmers markets if you arrive before they open and scout around, provided the stalks didn't freeze this week like most did last week. Somehow the assertive flavor of asparagus doesn't strike me as a particularly good complement to Sephardic food, though you could roast it and serve it at room temperature with a Middle-Eastern inspired dressing (orange or Meyer lemon) and maybe something like a haroset garnish (instead of sieved HB eggs), heavy on the nuts and with herbs and a little citrus zest vs. dried fruits. I'd be more inclined to go with greens or delicate leaves were I set on featuring freshly picked produce from the Chesapeake Bay watershed, especially since we're not smack dab in the middle of asparagus season. Still, I really like The M's first suggestion since there are so many cool things you can do with artichokes, mindful of blb's recommended simplicity. Artichokes are in season. They're great at room temperature and while assertive, more culturally relevant.

You're not alone. However, how many oz. in 1 1/3 cups AP flour? I modify RB Levy's recipe for pie dough (that's what we call it in New England), using 2 T of lard and 6 T of butter. I don't really discern the lard w this ratio in fruit pies, but when bacon's involved in a quiche filling, that flour-coated pig fat perks up and grunts. ************************* Home late. BLT w avocado, smoked salt and slivered red onion, the "b" standing for bread vs. bacon, the tomatoes, slow-roasted yellow plums from last summer.

Please note the editing of my original post above; sadly what appeared to be a terrific resource was not. On the other hand, it promised recipes for leeks which you'll find in farmers markets; I recommend Next-Step's at Dupont. You won't find local artichokes yet and I haven't met one I've thought was all that, so I'd go with ones purchased indoors.

Artichokes sound like a great choice! Not sure if fresh favas have come in from California yet. If you find pleasure in weighing options, I'd also explore what recognized cookbook authors inspire. Joan Nathan is first name that springs to mind, but she's not so much into Sephardic traditions though her website has a recipe for harissa that you could incorporate into a dish of leafy greens or room-temperature, trimmed and roasted or grilled artichokes. There are so many terrific books not only on Jewish cooking, but also on Middle-Eastern and Spanish cooking that would help, most likely with recipes online. Paula Wolfert, for example, is a great font. A local expert on things Persian: Najmieh Batmanglij. There's Clifford Wright whose initial interest in Arab roots of Sicilian food make him a great resource. Then, there's Claudia Rosen. Joyce Goldstein who has a book on Sephardic food, I believe, but I searched via what I know of her interest in Italy's Jews. This link to Moro East offers a parade of related titles below. Maloufs are fab, too. I'll leave you to researching Spanish books--or not. ETA: My link to Sephardim was apparently to one of those misleading websites that simply fill your browser with advertising cookies in addition to broken links, so I removed it.

I can't believe it's been FIVE years since we all joined in for the first Summer Challenge!! Having just unpacked my bathroom scale, I popped in a new battery, stepped on and sighed at what the numbers confirmed. Then I turned on the computer and retrieved the final document of my Food Diary from 2007. Not only have I managed to keep off that weight, but I am five pounds lighter! Not bad, considering. So, here's the thing: I had hoped that with self-control and making slow but steady progress, every year I would lose at least half the number of pounds shed during the Summer Challenge. That means I would have reached my own target weight by now. Didn't happen. While I continue to have mixed feelings about the whole weight-loss/vanity thing that many liberal women of my generation experience, I would like to revive some of the efforts put into the initial group project. For example, not indulging in the French fries, ice-cream sandwiches, pizza and guacamole that I have found too easy to justify recently. More exercise on days off. Vegetarian meals that don't involve grilled cheese. Does anyone else feel so inclined?

Time to change the heading again: 8:30 am to 1 pm. Back: Clear Springs Creamery returns for its third week this year. Four Seasons, the West Virginia plant guy at the corner of Q St. NW and 20th St. with lots of potted herbs, starters and flowers. Harmony Creek, the soap makers. Gardener's Gourmet with Cinda's galvanized buckets of green leaves and bundles of herbs. It's the first Sunday when three out of five of the organic produce farmers will be back together: Next Step, Tree & Leaf and Farm at Sunnyside, with New Morning returning in May and Country Pleasures just a bit earlier. Wollam returned last week and Anchor Nursery some time before that, so Farmhouse Flowers is no longer the only place to go for flowers. ******************** The big to-do for the 11:00 (approximate) Chef at Market event: the annual spring lamb on a spit to launch Zaytinya's Greek Easter. Given how long it took last year, the crew's planning on arriving between 6 and 7 AM along with the dedicated farmers and market staff.