Out With Winter, Welcome Spring

I don’t know about you, but I am ready for spring. I’m really, really ready. Just when I think I can’t take another cold night of 20 degrees or a day just below freezing, there are two unrelated things that happen to soothe my winter’s angst and propel me into a fury of cooking projects. I welcome them as beacons of hope, nudging me toward the warm promise of springtime.

The Coming of Meyer Lemon Madness

If pomegranates are the winter’s jewels, then Meyer lemons are the delicious heralds of spring. A Meyer lemon is a cross between a true lemon and a Mandarin orange (or the common orange) and presents as a short seasonal crop, running from November through February if we are lucky.

The time is now. The season is here. They are precious and should not to be taken for granted. Why? This is not your ordinary lemon, my darlings. No, this lemon with its bright, yellow skin, round shape and aromatic tones of sweet lime, lemon and mandarin outshines all others.         

Originally cultivated in China, as most citrus, this one is named after the American agricultural explorer, Frank N. Meyer, who brought it to the U.S. back in 1908. Since that time, they were mostly grown in backyard gardens, then in the 1960s, these bright yellow, succulent orbs were used in dishes and desserts by Alice Waters, the culinary counter-revolutionary local food enthusiast and founder of Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA.

Today, this citrus is grown in California, Texas and Florida. But, their thin skin and high juice content make them a difficult crop to ship commercially. So, if you can find them, get as many as you can. There are 100 amazing things you can do with Meyer lemons. The season is a short one, but the rewards are bounteous.

Recently I spotted a few bags in the produce section of a local supermarket and without hesitation, brought my lovelies home. Since my supply is finite, I use every bit of the fruit from the juice to the rind. I know spring is close by when an explosion of cooking and baking in my kitchen produces Meyer Lemon Curd, Candied Meyer Lemon Rind, Meyer Lemon Marmalade, Meyer Lemon Chutney, Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cheese Tart, Cheesecakes and pies. I do what I must.

Here is my recipe for Meyer Lemon Jelly. It’s a quick and easy way to enjoy this short-timer now and into the summer. It’s yours to try.

Meyer Lemon Jelly

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of juice
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 envelope of liquid fruit pectin
• 4 (8 oz) jam jars with new lids and seals

Instructions:

1. Heat the juice until warm. Add the sugar. Stir until dissolved.
2. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly for one minute.
3. Stir in the contents of the pectin pouch.
4. Return to a full rolling boil; stir for one minute.
5. Remove pan from heat. Skim any foam.
6. Ladle hot jelly into sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.
7. Process in a water bath: ten minutes for ½ pint jars, 15 minutes for pint jars.

The Seed Catalogs Arrive

In January, when my mailbox starts to receive those four-color glossy seed catalogs from across the U.S., I know that spring is close by. Here is the ritual I’ve maintained for quite a few years. First, I check all the new catalogs against my regular list of catalogs, thus expanding my total list. Next, I wait until I have received every catalog that I have ordered. I collect them at my bedside table, but resist looking at them until the day deemed as Order Seeds Day—a family holiday, arrives. After we look through each one, salivating over the perfectly blemish-free tomatoes, peppers, squash, strawberries, peas, watermelon, and the myriad other dreamy vegetables, we make our selections. Gathered around the dining room table, with notes from the previous year’s successes and failures, we make our selections.

There is always one consensus. Order only ONE packet of zucchini seeds! Over the years, my family has tried different approaches: a Mexican garden one year, an Asian garden the next. Once we decided that rhubarb, a perennial, would be a welcome addition to our table. But, it turned out that no one really liked it that much so the next year the space was dedicated to a vegetable we all enjoyed more. Over time, as eating habits and tastes change so, too, our home gardens become a reflection of the family’s preferences. There is no point in planting vegetables no one in the family will eat.

My family can’t get enough tomatoes of any variety, so a lot of space goes toward tomatoes. The other vegetable choices are selected based on previous successes in the garden and maintenance requirements. The vegetable seeds for my kitchen garden are ordered from the following companies:

Johnny’s Seed- I love the selection of basil varieties

The Cook’s Garden-vegetables for the gourmet cook. A must-have

Vesey’s Seeds- for short season vegetables

Burpee Gardening- they carry a large selection of tomato varieties

Gardens Alive- focus on organic gardening and seeds

Henry Field’s Seed and Nursery- seeds for southern climates

Burgess Seed & Plant Co.- they carry unusual berries

Jung Seeds & Plants-they are featuring a “Pink Lemonade Blueberry” this year. I plan to incorporate this one into the garden.

R.H. Shumway’s- for hard to find and old-fashioned vegetables

John Scheppers Kitchen Garden Seeds- offers many culinary herbs

Neseed- for organic seeds, Italian gourmet seeds

Gurney’s Seed & Nursery Co. for lemongrass.

Local Garden Resources

Spring can’t come soon enough and planning a garden of any size is an enjoyable way to put aside the winter blahs. On the local scene, Autumn Hill Nursery and Landscaping here in Woodstock features a unique approach to getting fresh vegetables on your family table. It’s called Square Foot Gardening. Imagine producing carrots, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, peas, cabbage, turnips, radishes, beets and scallions all on a 4x4 ft. area. Kitchen gardens are a fun way to get fresher vegetables on your table, save a little money and get some exercise as well.

Ah Spring, hurry here!