Let there be spring! (originally posted in March...)

Pear blossom ... won't be long now!

 Well, Nature in our part of Provence is discreetly showing the first signs of spring.  Temperatures haven’t dropped below freezing at night for the past couple of weeks, our wood stove only gets lit briefly in the evenings, and the occasional door left by one of the kids no longer garners the “close the door, you’re letting all the warm air out” comment from Damon or me!

This is what it looks like outside at the moment...



Daisies everywhere

Cherry blossom

The mad dash begins to get the garden ready for planting!

 Every year, a sure sign of the seasons changing for me are the wild salads that grow all over the fields around our house.  Nothing says spring more than walking around with a paring knife and a colander gathering lunch.  This year I’m really into juicing, and since green leafy vegetables are so expensive to buy at my local organic shop, I decided I would juice dandelions instead.  I’ve found that although dandelions are the black sheep in any self-respecting lawn, they have amazing powers.  They are a great diuretic, purify the blood, and are packed with minerals.  Since I have an endless (and free) supply of them for a few weeks out of the year, I figured I should get my fill.

Here's what you find this time of year in Provence:

Chives

Spider salad (the latin name is Scorzoneralaciniata L.)

Dandelion, the queen of all wild salads (Taraxacum gr. officinale, in latin) 

Nina finds the best dandelions. She loves them mixed with other salad greens and "crunchies" (Jerusalem artichokes she digs up in the garden).



One of the perks about warmer weather is that we get to eat outside.  We have a huge round stone table complete with Lazy Susan for large gatherings (it comfortably seats fourteen people!), but when it’s just us, we like to sit at the smaller table that’s just off our kitchen.  It’s sheltered from the wind, and the views of our front field are really nice.  No neighbors as far as the eye can see, and only Nature’s sounds surrounding us.  If only the kids had anything close to good table manners, I could almost enjoy it!