Spring Abundance
April is all about the garden - and an overabundance of eggs.
Spring is late to Maine, but thankfully there are signs everywhere: trillium, tulips, scilla, alliums, garlic, and iris are all making an appearance. We have buds on the viburnums, lilacs and rhododendrons. Melina, a beautiful person and wonderful gardener, came yesterday for her first day of the season. Our primary focus is winter clean-up, but soon we will start seeds and making plans for new plantings. Her presence, and the task at hand, are cathartic and welcoming; we are literally throwing away what remains of last year and starting over, making room for little sprouts of green, growing our way into hopefulness.
Turkestan tulips; tulips; scilla.
But the best news is the new greenhouse – my first. Wayne, our caretaker, is helping Bill to assemble the 999 pieces that came in 15 boxes from Home Depot. The process began with several email and text messages to Wayne, begging him to come to help.
No one else can do this but you, we implored.
I know, said Wayne.
It was a rough go at first. Bill had already invested time and money in figuring out to build a base for the structure. He measured, bought pressure treated wood, spikes and a sledgehammer. I dug the trenches and we laid down what we thought would be the foundation, ready to impress Wayne. In his inimitable style, however, Wayne tells us, “we done it all wrong.”
He saved the day by buying more, larger planks, anchoring them properly, making sure everything was plum. Then Bill started to assemble the frame, but Wayne wasn’t pleased. He mumbled to me something about Bill being hard to work with and how he won’t listen (tell me about it). Bill is all about following directions and Wayne is all about doing things Wayne’s way, which made things a bit challenging, but not for long. After checking on them a few times, I saw they had made peace and were making great progress. Wayne agreed to come back on Saturday morning and I promised to make him blueberry muffins (the recipe, which turned out great, was from Dishing Up Maine by Brooke Dojny).
The gravel base for the greenhouse, and the complete (but empty) greenhouse.
As promised, Wayne arrives but not empty handed. He has brought a set of suspenders for Bill! Bill had been complaining of his pants falling down, and here was Wayne, once again to the rescue. The two of them, in matching suspenders, was a sight to behold. I didn’t know which to celebrate more: the fact that his pants were not falling down anymore, or that the greenhouse was nearly finished, but Bill was elated. I was too. Thank you, Mr. Bolan. Bill is going to make you a cherry pie.
Wayne and Bill, pants suspended and ready to work.
Our next step is to put the door on and assemble the worktables and shelving in the greenhouse. It may still be a bit early to start seeds – temperatures still drop to the high 30s at night - but it won’t be long. My plan is to start a bunch of vegetables and herbs, by seed. Some I will transplant into the garden and some I will grow in the greenhouse, like the tomatoes and basil who really like it hot. Maine does not do hot. And I’m not starting any ordinary seeds, but Seeds from Italy, the U.S. distributor for Franchi Seeds, Italy’s oldest family-owned seed company, founded in 1783. Among others I ordered: Radicchio Castelfranco, Rossa di Verona, and Treviso; Eggplant Bianco; and puntarella. For those of you who grow zucchini for the flowers, to stuff, and for the squash itself, you will be happy to know there’s a variety best for both: Zucchini Lunga Fiorentino.
This information was actually provided on the Seeds from Italy website:
If you want to grow squash exclusively for squash blossoms, try da Fiore, a variety selected for its high proportion of flowers. (If you don't pick all the flowers, you will get some squash.) If you want both blossoms and a good zucchini, try Lunga Fiorentino.
I can’t wait to get started with this grand experiment. You’ll be hearing a lot more about my progress over the months to come.
Naturally it would make sense to follow with recipes for stuffed zucchini blossoms but it’s much too early for that. And still too early for garlic scapes, ramps, or other spring culinary wonders. Instead, I am going to tell you what I plan to do with a bounty of 36 eggs. That’s right. Two dozen of Wayne’s hen’s eggs, and one dozen of Lisa’s duck eggs. These dear friends know we like to make pasta but if you will forgive, I now find myself in a scramble.
Duck egg yolk! Lisa, owner and fishmonger of Jess's Market, shows off the goods. We used half duck eggs and half Wayne's hens eggs for the pasta.
I considered several recipes requiring large amounts of eggs. Frittata was a natural but Bill likes to use Eggbeaters in the morning. Quiche. In my early married years, BC (before children) I made it once a week (for many weeks) determined to get it right. We haven’t had much quiche since then.
We finally agreed to make some of our favorites:
Spinach Garganelli Carbonara (9 eggs, plus 2 for sauce)
Handcut Fettuccine (9 eggs)
Spinach Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage (2 eggs)
Mayonnaise (3 eggs)
The recipe I use for egg pasta dough comes from Jeff Michaud’s cookbook, Eating Italy. Jeff is the owner and chef of Osteria in Philadelphia and is also the son in law of my dear Italian friend Pina, who is also a fantastic cook. I was lucky to spend several weeks with her in 2019 at her mountain home in Bergamo and her flat in Venice. Though we did not make pasta, she showed me how to make stuffed zucchini blossoms, a recipe that will I will use in the months to come.
We made hand-cut fettuccine instead because it was easier than the lasagna we originally planned. For the garganelli, I changed up the pasta dough a bit this time by using the same spinach puree I used for the gnocchi. Ok, gnocchi are not eggsactly pasta but I am in love with spinach gnocchi. I typically make my own ricotta but am cheating this time with store-bought. I have been using Mimi Thorisson’s Spinach Gnocchetti recipe in her Old World Italian (my new favorite!) but we also love Marc Vetri’s spinach gnudi, a favorite at Vetri Cucina. My way of making them is a combination of both recipes, so I add ricotta to a dense spinach puree.
Hand-cut fettucine; spinach garganelli; spinach gnocchi with brown butter and sage.
In addition to quiche, Bill and I loved to make mayonnaise in our new Cuisinart when we were first married. I asked him if he remembered why and what we used it for. He can’t remember and neither but we will have fun making it again.
Dessert is last: Ice Cream!
Our dear friend, and my painting teacher, the artist Colin Page, gave this cookbook and vintage scoop to Bill on his birthday last year. From it, Bill is trying something new.
White Chocolate Ice Cream (5 eggs)
We were in the kitchen all day Sunday. That night we had our gnocchi, and grilled marinated lamb chops with a salad of shaved fennel and blood orange. Tonight, the garganelli. I can’t wait. This means we have six eggs left. No wait, I used two make Wayne’s blueberry muffins! Four left. That’s breakfast for me. And a partridge in a pear tree.