spring

Last fall, my husband built a cold frame for wintering over my herbs. They lasted well into January, probably due to the mild winter we had. Unfortunately, the basil lasted only until November, and then it was off to the compost pile. The cold frame held oregano, thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, sage and chives.  I purchased a bay leaf tree last summer that was brought inside for the winter. It survived in our second floor bath that has a roof window and gets bright sunlight all morning.  It’s done quite nicely and has provided some leaves for my cooking.

Right now everything is coming back to life. The oregano has sprouted new growth, the rosemary has new evergreen needle-like leaves sprouting, the chives are looking hearty and only the regular thyme survived the winter. Although the thyme and rosemary weren’t looking necessarily their best, I did use them for flavor in my cooking. 

t’s too early and cool where I live to start planting. Last spring my husband had two long planters filled with lettuce which we harvested for our salads. We’ll continue with the lettuce and perhaps try some other vegetables. Unfortunately, we have more sidewalk and ivy than plantable property at our home. We’ve tried tomatoes, but they need a sunny spot, something that we do not have much of. One year my husband purchased a mint plant. The mint has propagated around our house and is quite invasive.
 
During #stayhome, I’ve been going through my freezer and grocery shelves to see what I may have forgotten. I found a container of beef stock in my backup freezer and a container of pearl barley. I cooked a cup of barley in my pressure cooker and steamed a carrot and stem of celery to incorporate into a simple soup. I’ve also found random small containers of various sauces (butternut squash and clam) that will cover enough pasta for one. This can be either lunch or supper one day for my husband and me. 
 
This evening for supper, I’ll be preparing Mac n’ cheese. I’ll use my Williams-Sonoma, Organic Foglie pasta (17.6 oz), that I purchased for less than $4 (original price $8.95). In my freezer I found a Hatfield ham steak that I will cube and mix in.
 
Much to our delight, our favorite local restaurant, Brandl Restaurant, is offering meals to go Thursday-Sunday for $25/per person with a 2 dinner minimum. There are two appetizer, entree and dessert selections for Thursday and Friday night and a different menu for Saturday and Sunday evening.
 
There are many wonderful local restaurants, bakeries and various other eateries who are attempting to maintain some normalcy during these stressful times. Over the course of time they have improved their ordering and curb side or pick up logistics. It also is beneficial to those of us at home to be able to order from our favorite eatery so that we have a connection to others while maintaining appropriate social distancing. 
 
While trying to keep their local business operating, small business owners are feeding hospitals and medical personal, some are gathering hospital supplies or others collecting health and beauty aids for medical personnel that have skin irritation from frequent hand washing or chapped lips from constant wearing of face masks .
 
 
To my readers, be well, be safe.