I’ve been making daily visits to the garden looking in vain for the slightest suggestion that some first-of-the-season asparagus stalks will soon grace our dinner table. As of press time, nary a tender tip has broken ground. We are so over starchy root vegetables and dried beans. It’s time to lighten up! Bring on the spicy radishes, the crunchy baby lettuces and the spring peas! If you planned ahead like Farmgirl Confidential contributor Veronica Worthington, right now you might be tucking into a satisfying savory pastry made from produce from your dedicated spinach pie garden. Veronica swears that you can harvest the key ingredients (spinach, dill, scallions) all-year long, thus providing a corrective to the fresh greens deprivation we normally experience in winter. She also generously shares her favorite spinach pie recipe with us. I plan to make one soon.
In this issue, we welcome back long-time Edible Cape Cod contributor John Carafoli, who took a break from writing cookbooks and leading tours to Italy to introduce us to a half-dozen local first-generation Americans and some of their favorite family recipes. Regardless of where you come from, cooking (and eating) family dishes is a powerful way to connect with one’s heritage, especially when it takes some effort to source ingredients that are not part of the typical American diet. Like goat. Or callaloo. Reading John’s article, it struck me how so many of our fellow Cape Codders are from other shores. Whether dentist, cobbler, landscaper or doctor, their presence here has enriched our lives beyond the services they provide. As our immigrant population grows, so do our options for more expansive foodstuff. Walk along Main Street, Hyannis, and you can chose among Brazilian, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Peruvian and Thai eateries. There are shops where you can stock up on Eastern European, Caribbean and Brazilian groceries and comfort foods. We hope the recipes in Ethnic Home Cooking on Cape Cod inspire you to stretch your repertoire in the kitchen.
In 2012, the last time the survey was taken, the average age of farmers in the U.S. was 58 years. So you can imagine our delight to feature a story about Matt Churchill and Jeny Christian, the two thirty-something operators of Pariah Dog Farm who have big ambitions for their eight-acre property in East Falmouth. As Elise Hugus writes, their goal is to become a biodynamic “full diet farm”. We look forward to touching base with them over time to watch their progress. Go, Matt and Jeny, go!
Cheers,
Dianne
