Spring a ding ding!

In these parts, there are three things you can reliably count on in April:  The forsythia will burst bright yellow. The shad will pour into the Hudson from the Atlantic. And Nick Storrs will return to the Hastings Farmers Market with his beautiful display of vegetable and flower upstarts.

Just seeing Nick at the market makes me think of blue skies and butterflies. Nick discovered his passion for growing things in Vermont before moving to NYC where he was a gardener in Central Park before managing the Randall’s Island Urban Farm for 8 years. There he raised over 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables while leading an education program teaching others about the importance of good food and our relationship to it. 

Now, in addition to teaching at the NYBG, he helps people like you and me create beautiful, kitchen gardens of their own in all shapes and sizes.
Get a kick start on your spring planting this weekend (and some advice from a pro) by visiting Nick's stand. Helpful hint: bring a box for your plantings!
Sunday should be a lovely day for gardening - or for a picnic..

Making Easter Brunch? Here's a Sam Sifton recipe for fresh ham with a balsamic glaze (pick up your balsamic at Agape Premium EVOO). Halal Pastures and Obercreek Farm have plenty of radishes to make this colorful Easter salad with crunch. And some of our farmers will have foraged ramps! These wild leeks are as delicious as they are fleeting. Buy some to make thisDavid Tanis ramp omelet or this creamy ramp pesto pasta

No doubt there will be plenty of chocolate eggs in your home, but for the grown ups, consider buying some Raw Chocolate Love, deep dark unadulterated organic chocolate in flavors like rose, Earl Grey and chai latte. 

We are bringing you extra sweets this week for your holiday table. You can be sure that Charlotte's Home Kitchen will have something painterly and pastoral (she uses flowers from her garden in her cake baking and decorating, don't you know) – and vegan. Pastry chef Amy Germann of Elderberry Road, returns with a spring in her step from a brief winter hiatus with her homespun pies and upside-down cakes, too. If you're looking for a Latin flair in your desserts head straight to Silvia's Home Kitchen for alfajores and dulce de leche cakes.

And who wouldn't want some aromatic and soothing soap or bath salts from Ash Hopper Botanical Skin Care in their Easter basket this year?
If you get hungry at the market on Saturday (and who doesn't?)  there will be plenty of options: Crêpes, of course, made to order by Chef Thierry at L'Escargot Voyageur; vegetarian, chicken and pork dumplings courtesy of Grumply Dumpling and Empabakes empanadas...always baked, not fried. What's more, guest vendor Lara's Kitchen will be serving up traditional Lebanese chicken and lamb platters with authentic garlic purée as well as kofte sandwiches and kebabs.

Thousand Leaf Garden Farm will be bringing more of their dazzling tulips (the last bunch of white tulips I got lasted two full weeks, and I kept them even longer because they looked so artful even as they waned).  Splurge! They will make you smile every time you look at them.

Give them a clean cut before putting them in your vase. Ready-Set-Sharp is here to resurrect your scissors, knives and pruning shears. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)