When I moved to Maine from N.H. I brought with me 150 perennials to plant here. These salmon quince made the list. Needless to say, I not only delight in the gorgeous salmon-pink display each Spring, but also the hummers adore it, and its shelter for the chickadees, finches, and even the wrens. May Day was my birthday and for the first in many years that I can recall… we never saw the sun. These flowering quince outside my kitchen window was indeed a cheerful sight to celebrate the day.
Quince blossom
And then in the fall I’ll make jars and jars of quince jam until I run out of jars.. we enjoy it so much here.
…. Just a week ago… snow, ice, high seas, more flooding… followed by five more days of pounding rains. Ugh! But this morning the sun is finally shining with mild 60 degree temps. I cut these few forsythia stems to force indoors before the storm last weekend.
Yes, so come hell or high water… have faith, Spring is finally on its way!
First picked spinach of the season.. yum!Added into the pot of risotto.. with a little wine, lemon juice & zest.So good! Limone spinachi risotto… served with baked pork chops and spring asparagus.
My cousin Randy is a lobsterman, owner and captain of the Lady Ella, and absolutely loves lobstering and being on the ocean- as challenging as it can be. With over 4,000 traps he is bound to catch some out of the ordinary crustaceans with each haul. These are a few of this past summer’s unique catches.
Mottled lobsterDouble clawed lobster
And this was the catch that beat all. Simply amazing!
Granddaddy of all! After posing for a few shots, this big boy.. all 16 pounds of him was returned back to the safety of the sea. What an amazing catch!
There’s a lot the world doesn’t get right about fennel or finnocchio as we call it. For starters, did you know that fennel was a triple treat? Fennel can be a vegetable, herb or a spice depending on how you look at it. Crazy as that tidbit is.. maybe even has you thinking now, doesn’t it? Known for its aromatic and flavorful qualities, it features long stalks and feathery leaves called fronds and produces yellow flowers that give rise to seeds commonly used as a spice. The fennel bulb, similar in texture to celery are often consumed raw in salads, or cooked in soups or stews, or roasted as a side dish or simply sliced and chewed on as a digestive after a big meal. With its distinctive anise-licorice like taste, fennel offers a refreshing, almost slightly sweet flavor to many dishes.
And while fennel bulbs may be the star of the show, the fronds have earned their own rights for best supporting actor. Decorate any fennel pasta, frittata or salads you make with some of those bright green fronds will make a pretty presentation on the table. Two fave uses of the fronts are as a topping for my fennel salad. Yum! 😋 The second would be in my favorite cheese, mushroom and fennel fronds ravioli filling. And though we do consume a lot of pasta’s here. Lest you think we’re only about carbs (moderation being the key) … but you wouldn’t be too far off!! 😀 A side salad of shaved fennel bulb with pink grapefruit slices, red onion or shallots in a red wine vinaigrette is a yummy addition to any meal.. pasta or not. Balance is beautiful thing.
I grow a lot of fennel at the farm. In addition to its flavor I just like the way it looks in the gardens. Mushroom, cheese & fennel fronds ravioliFinnocchio, pink grapefruit & fennel fronds salad
Yes indeed, I absolutely love the addition of fennel.. all of its parts in my cooking or just to munch on as I’m cooking.
Thyme Goes By... 