We’ve finally made it out of winter! At least according to the solar cycles if not the weather; however, we’ve had good luck this week, and the sun has been shining every day. Hopefully, I didn’t just jinx it.
Since this is our first year in Utah (and because it’s been on my list to do this for a while), I wanted to commemorate the solstices and equinoxes as we move through the year. Besides switching out my home decor, the best way for me to do this is through food, of course!
However, before I get into what we’re eating on the first day of Spring, I wanted to dive a bit into the myth, legend, and history of the equinox.
Ostara, or Eostre, is the Germanic goddess of spring and dawn, and the first time her name appears in writing is in Bede’s 8th-century scholarly work. From there, her story grew tenfold, notably due to the help of the Brothers Grimm. Though her origin may be a bit fuzzy, her name Eostre is related to that of Eos, the Greek goddess of dawn, and both mythological women can be traced back to a Proto-Indo-European goddess of dawn.
Regardless of where Ostara’s myth started, she was celebrated for reawakening the world – warm winds, longer days, returning birds, budding trees, first blooms, newly laid eggs. Usually depicted as a young maiden, Ostara is wreathed in flowers and often dances, joyous in the clearing weather.
gökotta (v) {Swedish}: waking up at dawn and going outside just to hear birds chirping and singing
The changing weather and our eager welcome for new life have given foods new meaning and symbology for the new season.
Eggs
Chickens who are kept in natural light, often stop laying eggs in the winter, because the decreased hours of sunlight and colder temperatures signal to chickens that they need to rest and conserve energy to stay warm rather than lay eggs. So, the first eggs of the year were pretty exciting for medieval people as they were now able to add much-needed protein back into their diets. Eggs are now a symbol of fertility.
the result. 😃
Honey
Bees do not make honey in the winter and instead live off their stores of the sweet syrup until nectar is once again available for its creation in the spring. As flowers begin to bloom, the bees come out, and we can begin to sweeten our food once again.
Citrus
Often the last fruits of winter, citrus – lemon, orange, and lime – are the perfect thing to carry us through until we have fresh fruit again.
Spring Produce
Though we can now get just about any type of produce all year, always wondering why strawberries don’t taste as good in February as they do in July (thanks Mom for teaching me about seasonal fruit!), this didn’t use to be the case. The first produce to ripen in the spring were asparagus, cabbage, and greens like kale and rocket.
Lavender
Lavender, a flower and herb, usually begins blooming in mid-spring, and its fragrance welcomes the warm weather.
With these foods in mind, here’s what I set on our spring table:
For Breakfast
I made a batch of honey lavender scones. They’re a biscuit-y variety, but the cream is infused with honey and lavender before it’s added to the flower, so the subtle spring flavor is noticeable throughout.
or a dollop of blackberry jam wouldn’t go amiss.
Lunch
Oranges and homemade bread. Though bread doesn’t have any particular significance, it’s a staple food, relied on all year long. Tim topped his with tuna salad and cheese, but I just had some bread and butter. 😋
An Afternoon Pick-Me-Up or Nightcap
On our Valentine’s Day date to IKEA, we picked up some elderflower simple syrup. Though it’s an uncommon flavor here, it became a unique favorite for us while in Europe, especially in Ireland. And as it’s a late spring flower, I decided to whip up a special mocktail for our celebration.
This one mixes elderflower syrup, lime juice, blueberries, and sparkling water. Very easy, and we already had all of the ingredients on hand! Those are often my favorite recipes. 😅
Dinner
Before we went to Europe, I took a lesson out of Mom’s book and tore tasty recipes from my magazines before recycling the rest of the mag. And then the recipes sat… So, I’ve decided to not be like Mom, and make a point of giving all of my torn-out recipes a go. I think I’ve done three? 😬 Maybe I’m very like Mom after all…
But, I found a fourth recipe in that stack and knew they’d be perfect for spring. These puff pastry baskets (I bought mine since I didn’t have the time to make the pastry from scratch) are filled with eggs, crumbled goat cheese, crumbled bacon, tomato, and fresh parsley. 😋
press down the center to form a “nest,” and then bake again after filling (until the egg is done).
I wanted to have asparagus on the side, but I couldn’t find it at the store yet, so Tim made us cooked carrots (because of Easter) sweetened with brown sugar and cinnamon. And we couldn’t resist topping it all with some rocket!
Hope your spring is looking as bright and hopeful as ours!
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