Hey, winter. Don't let the door hit ya

And just like that, all my hens started laying again and the hellebores popped up from their deep soil slumber.

This early spring is frightening for all sorts of reasons, but you can't deny how soothing this sunshine feels on the skin and the soul. 

Looking ahead it's going to be sunny on Saturday so get your favorite market bags together, make lists and plan a productive trip to the market. 

There are meal-specific holidays ahead! 

Corned beef and cabbage is the classic St. Patrick's Day dish, but I would venture to guess there are more fans out there of the classic Irish-stew. 
You can bake your own soda bread, or, you can enjoy some courtesy of Wave Hill Breads. Bien Cuit Bakery is also getting into the Irish Soda Bread game, putting their Gallic twist on this humble classic, naturellement. Theirs will have hazelnut, dark chocolate and candied orange. 

If you celebrate Easter (March 31st!) Get your leg of lamb from Wil-Hi Farm returning after their winter hiatus. I always imagine farmer Heidi Simmons, spending her days from Thanksgiving to March, seated by a roaring fire knitting hats and sweaters with wool from her Rambouillet sheep. I'm sure she would laugh at that image.

If anyone is going to teach you how to roast a leg of lamb properly (other than my mother) then by all means, let it be David Tanis. This recipe serves the lamb with white beans, or meugettes as the French call them. Serving vegetarians on Easter? Why not make this Ali Slagle recipe  for roasted kale and sweet potatoes with molten eggs. Everything tastes better roasted. Even kale.

Someone in my household is spending their college spring break at home recovering from wisdom-tooth surgery. Thank you, White Moustache for making yogurt so delicious and nourishing and for your ginger Whey packed with probiotics.Unfortunately she won't be biting into any macarons any time soon, but you can...Gaelle's French Pastries returns on Saturday with their puff pastries (chouquettes) and canelés. 

New vendor alert!

Please give a warm welcome  to Pennings Cidery from Warwick, NY. The orchard has been around for decades but the folks at Pennings only started making cider with their own apples in 2015. Try their "Across the Pond,", a dry cider made  with English bittersweet apple varieties, Brown Snout and Dabinett, and with North American native such as Ida Red, Braeburn, Gold Rush, and Pink Lady. New York State grown black currants give their Black Currant Cider a touch of sweet. It's both tart and fruity! Please give them a warm welcome.

If you need a sharp knife to cut into that roast leg of lamb, please note that our favorite knife sharpener, Matt Westall will be here. 

See you at the market!