the last oranges of winter

We’re in that muddily grey area between winter and spring where cold-weather produce still lingers in groceries but springtime foods are slowly encroaching on their territory. In times like these, this is my kind of salad. The cara-cara oranges are still sweet and juicy, the greens are fresh and local, and the feta cheese and snappy white balsamic are creamy, earthy, and bright. If I think to pick up a bunch of fat, little radishes, I like to shave one in as well. And as summer approaches, I’ll add a little mustard to the dressing to coat pencil-thin haricot verts, sun-kissed cherry tomatoes, and torn, leftover chicken.

I’ve eaten a version of this salad almost every day for the past two weeks, and find myself instinctively grabbing a container of greens whenever I’m at our market. Once you have the basic ingredients on hand, it’s the kind of dish that happens almost by itself.

spring greens salad with cara-cara oranges, radishes, and feta
serves 2-4

I’m in love with mâche or “lamb’s lettuce;” its tiny, leafy rosettes have a sweetness and a slight textural resistance that makes me feel like I’m eating a succulent. I’d recommend trying it here, but any tender mix of greens will do. Adding a handful of walnuts wouldn’t be out of place, either, and their crunch would offset the softer textures nicely.

4 cups mâche or other baby greens (about 3 large handfuls; if using mâche rosettes, gently separate them into smaller collections of leaves)
2 cara-cara oranges, cut into supremes
2 ounces fresh, sheep’s milk feta
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
black pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed, canola, or other light-flavored oil

Layer the greens, orange supremes, and feta in a wide, shallow salad bowl. Pour the white balsamic vinegar into a small bowl or jar. Add a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and stir with a spoon or swish the vinegar around to help the salt dissolve. Leave for a couple of minutes to ensure the salt has fully dissolved before adding the oil. Slowly pour the oil into the vinegar, whisking simultaneously if using a bowl. If using a jar, simply screw the lid on the jar after adding the oil and shake vigorously. Take a leaf from the salad and dip it into the bowl or jar to taste the dressing, and adjust the vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper ratios as you see fit.

Pour half of the dressing onto the salad, and toss gently. Add more dressing if necessary, making sure each element of the salad is lightly coated. Transfer to individual dishes, or serve straight from the bowl.

suggested additions (add one or a few!):
radishes*
walnuts
shaved fennel
shaved celery root

*If you, like me, marvel at the paper-thin perfectly round radish slices some people seem born to make, but nearly make rounds of your finger while slicing the unwieldy globes, here’s a hint: use a mandoline to make your slices. Some mandolines also offer you the option of dicing or waffle-cutting your vegetables, but you can find good, cheap versions without all of the bells and whistles. You do still have to watch your fingers, but sometimes a mandoline will come with a slide-able guard to help ease your mind. And if you don’t want to throw down for a mandoline but still want those little round slices, seek out icicle radishes (the kind shaped like short carrots); you can more easily hold one end while slicing the other and you’ll have beautiful white and pink rounds of which everyone will approve.

IT IS OFFICIAL. We will have at least 5 tomato plants this season!

Our very first tomato raised its little green head yesterday morning; I could almost watch it stretch, it happened so quickly! I actually got scared a few nights ago because I read an article about how tomato plants can be more difficult to sprout from seed than other plants (does anyone have experience with this?). And though I’ve sprouted tomatoes from seed a couple of times, reading about the general problems made me worry that maybe mine would have the same sort of trouble as well, especially since it was near the end of their prescribed germination period and almost everyone in my seed tray seemed lethargic. But a second seed sprouted soon after the first, and then three more popped up as well. Even if those five seeds turn into my only tomato plants this year, I don’t even care. I am already so dang proud of them.

I think Richard may get bored with me calling him in to see that “another seed sprouted!” And later, “it’s taller! Come see, it’s taller!!” But so far he’s been able to match my plant enthusiasm, which is no small feat these days. And we both are marveling over how plants look so similar in the baby stage; tomatoes look a little like fuzzy spinach sprouts, thyme looks like oregano, basil looks like lavender… I mean I guess it makes sense. Human babies look very similar to each other when they’re young, don’t they? And then they grow up into Steven Tyler and Marilyn Manson.

But enough about our plants, because we have other exciting news; our landlord approved our request to have chickens! I’m so excited, but also slightly terrified to be responsible for a whole new breed of animal. Thankfully, there are a lot of useful resources and experienced people who have been very helpful in aiding our decisions as far as what breeds to get, how big our coop ought to be, and how to keep our chickens happy and healthy. So far, I’ve found that backyardchickens.com, Wasatch Gardens, and Harvey Ussery’s book The Small-Scale Poultry Flock have answered my questions quite thoroughly (not to mention the very nice guy at the general store on the corner that I pester on a semi-regular basis). I’m also getting a big kick out of Henderson’s chicken breeds chart and its lighthearted descriptions of egg-laying capabilities, hardiness, and birds ranging from “graceful” and “curious” to “extremely fierce” and “stately or awkward.”

How are you getting ready for spring, and what are you growing this year? If you’re feeling daunted about starting a garden and have some spare $ (or at the very least, some spare time to get inspiration), take a peek at minifarmbox.com. The creator of the site had a fabulous feature on Sunset.com, and I can’t help but drool over his raised beds chock full of tomatoes, peppers, peas, and carrots (plus his cool, casual picnic table and deck!). I usually give my plants a little more space between them than he appears to give his, but his vegetables appear to be thriving (and I love how his boxes almost look like they are exploding with tomatoes).

And if you’re also entertaining the idea of chickens or just feel a little coop curious, I’m betting you’ll love these mod digs from kippenhouse. How awesome is that rooftop garden? Not only does it insulate the coop, but it keeps you from losing precious garden space (especially if, like me, you have a limited yard to begin with).

I don’t have the bucks to throw down on a true Kippenhouse, but I’m thinking I might incorporate the garden-box roof into our homemade version. For more examples of swanky coops, check out backyardchickens.com.

spring pea soup with curry

This picture gets me so excited.

If everything goes as planned, in a few months this space will be filled with spinach, chard, watermelons, tomatoes, eggplant, radishes, and beans. Our dining room’s window seat is full of seed trays where the beginnings of our garden lay soaking up sunlight and water. Even the plants outdoors are beginning to show their true colors after a long winter’s nap. I drove home the other day to find a sprinkling of deep blue daisies pushing themselves up among the sticks and twigs in our front yard, as well as some TBD bulbs on the west side of our house slowly inching their way towards the sky.

In fact, last week I got so excited about spring, about planting a garden, and about eating everything summery, that I went on a bit of a seed bender at our local nursery and may now be going a little overboard with planting. I’m guessing that our vegetable garden is going to eclipse our front yard, and while I have a few friends who might appreciate additional plants for their garden, I may still have to stand in front of my house passing out seedlings to people walking by.

But even though the days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and the official first day of spring was two days ago, Mother Nature keeps reminding me that she’s in charge and it’s only spring when she says it is. This morning, the little blue flowers in our front yard had scrunched up their faces and tucked into themselves like sullen children, and my car bore a distinct resemblance to a sno-cone. And I can’t seem to be comfortable in fewer than 3 layers of clothing, even though I’m inside of our house and it’s sunny and beautiful outside.

This spring pea soup is perfect for those of us who long for the snow to melt and the sun to shine but still have a few weeks of winter ahead of us. The curry and lemon lighten and brighten the soup while the cream comforts in cold weather. And by changing the amounts of butter and cream, or eliminating them entirely for a vegan soup, it becomes a recipe that is welcoming any time of the year.

Spring Pea Soup with Curry
adapted from my Aunt Diane and cousin Scott

2-4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1-2 teaspoons curry powder (I use more if it’s a delicate curry powder, less if it’s very spicy and flavorful)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I use black sometimes. Shhh)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, heated, plus 1 more cup if eliminating milk or half-and-half
3 3/4 cups peas (frozen peas are fine)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup milk or half-and-half (optional; you can also add a little coconut milk if you’d like a creamy, vegan version!)
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream or creme fraîche (optional)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (optional)

1. Saute onion in butter or oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add flour and curry to the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until very fragrant.
2. Add pepper, salt, and chicken or vegetable stock, and bring to a boil while stirring, scraping bottom. Simmer for 5 minutes, add peas, sugar and spinach, and simmer for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Puree using a stand or immersion blender. Strain if desired (it makes the soup more smooth and refined, but I’ve definitely skipped this step with perfectly fine results), and add half and half, milk or coconut milk. Warm gently. This must not boil, or the soup will separate.
4. (Optional) Whip cream or creme fraîche and lemon rind until soft peaks form. Serve soup in heated bowls with a dollop of whipped cream or creme fraîche.