Someday, it will warm up. Someday, it will stop snowing. It has to, right? Right? Though the foreseeable forecast still casts a pall on my dreams of summer, I’m trying to look at the positives: namely, the food. After a long winter, there’s no better perk to living in the Midwest than the bounty of local produce that floods the stores and farmers’ markets in the spring, summer, and even fall. You know what I’m talking about: sweet corn stacked high, mounds of tomato varieties you’ve never heard of, forests of spinach, kale, and other greens that are superior to lettuce (sorry, not sorry), and best of all, those fresh berries that practically melt in your mouth. Am I the only one drooling?
Here’s the best part: cooking seasonally isn’t just good for your taste buds (although that alone may be a convincing enough argument). It’s good for the environment, for local farmers, and for your health. This month, for example, when you choose the asparagus from the farmers’ market instead of spaghetti squash that’s been shipped here from California, you’re making a choice that has a ripple effect. The asparagus you’re about to make into a delicious plated salad appetizer is fresh and ready to eat, having ripened naturally on a farm close to where you live. It didn’t cost nearly as much to get to your plate – in terms of shipping costs and actual costs to you – and it was easier on the environment to deliver to your door as well. And if you bought it at a farmers’ market, you supported a locally-owned small business that likely uses a more sustainable, organic model than bigger commercial farms do. Let’s count that up, shall we? It’s a win-win-win-win-win-win. Check out a list of farmers’ markets around the city here or call your local Chamber of Commerce to find a full listing for your neighborhood (don't miss our Lincoln Square market on Tuesdays and Thursdays).
Now what to cook with all of these fresh, seasonal purchases? Glad you asked. Over at Page & Plate, we’re currently obsessed with that aforementioned asparagus pesto plate.
Asparagus is in season right now, which means it’s beautifully thick-stemmed and full of flavor, and the pesto is made from carrot-top greens – also on that list of things you should eat now. It’ll take you 15 minutes tops to get on the table, and with some crusty French bread and arugula salad, you could call it dinner. I definitely did.
If that doesn’t spark any joy, don’t worry (I mean, except about why that didn’t sound good to you). The Chopping Block’s spring calendar is full of classes to spark ideas about what else to cook while the growing is good, including Spring Chicken, Paris in the Spring, Food and Wine of California, and Date Night: Spring Dinner Party. And all that’s not to mention the kickoff of grilling season. Oh, yeah, they have grills.
The only thing left to do is pray to whatever weather spirit you believe in that spring is coming.
