In Our Spring 2023 Issue

Grist for the Mill

The term “spring” dates back to the 1300s. It’s thought that it stems from the time of year when most plants, dormant for the fall and winter, have emerged – or are “sprung” – from the earth to start growing again. Another definition could be derived from our own lives as we throw open the doors and spring from our homes to take in the warmer, longer days and take on the tasks of readying the yard and gardens for another growing season.

Life is circuitous. Because of that, we are presented with a series of do-overs. With every spring, we can rewrite the past, learn from our mistakes and turn that thumb of ours an ever-deepening shade of green. Memories of last year’s feeble zucchini plant or that single cucumber you picked can be wiped clear with a fresh start.

The simple act of gardening can have far-reaching effects beyond reaping what you sow. Jeff Avery returns with “Gardening for the Soul”, a heartfelt tale of how his childhood memories run deep, and gardening itself provides a form of therapy. His garden of today holds a connection to an idyllic oasis of his youth and a hope for the future.

When your gardens are overflowing with an abundance of crops (or at least a second cucumber), one of the joys is to share your bounty. What happens when you assemble a bounty of ingredients for a single recipe that has piqued an interest? Usually, you’re left with opened, half-used packages of items and leftover vegetables withering in the produce drawer of your refrigerator. Jeni Wheeler joins our pages with a mission: to chat with some of the Cape’s top chefs as they share a favorite recipe of their own, and then she creates an additional recipe using the leftover ingredients. The amount of food waste is staggering in the United States. Jeni’s aim is to limit the excess wherever possible, one recipe at a time.

This spring issue features many recipes, and John Carafoli is back with a memoir of when he learned to make pasta, and the influential women who guided him along the way. John will walk you through the process of making your own pasta along with a recipe for a flavorful prosciutto ragu to enjoy atop your fresh pasta.

Another recipe comes from chef Tyler Hadfield of The Rail in Orleans for a recent Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance “Meet the Fleet” on Zoom. Monkfish piccata makes use of a wonderful and underutilized alternative to the popular species of groundfish whose stocks are under threat of overfishing and are the focus of limited quotas. Monkfish or “poor man’s lobster”, is as abundant as it is flavorful. Get an up-close look at this possible solution to recovering the stock levels of other fish in “Not Just Another Pretty Face”. Just don’t look too closely.

A look at what it takes for two people to carry on with the dream of their partner after his passing is one of tragedy and triumph. Eric Davis and Kim Martin share their tale of overcoming the seemingly impossible in “Josh’s at Davisville: A Dream Continued”.

Another dream is that of married couple Ellery Althaus and Claire Adams. Michelle Koch stopped into Bagel Hound in Wellfleet to learn what it takes for this burgeoning bagel business to rise to the growing demand in “Schmeared with Love”.

So, sit back and savor these and the other stories and recipes you’ll find in this issue. Perhaps they’ll inspire your own dreams. Dreams offer hope, and hope indeed springs eternal.