Spring Garden

Along with the first robin and the return of the sun, I anticipate with eagerness the first signs of green in my garden. I took a walk around the yard yesterday and noticed tulip leaves that are stretching upwards and the crocuses are already in bloom, so I thought I’d check my little kitchen herb garden. I was not disappointed—the chives are up! The next thing to check is the rhubarb and though it will be a while before those first tightly curled red and green leaves produce shoots long enough to harvest—it just gladdens my heart to see them. These two ingredients will add a burst of spring to many dishes.

Chives are easy to grow and show their global sophistication by growing happily throughout the world—in almost any climate. They are kissing cousins to the rest of their Allium family: garlic, leeks, shallots and onions. They are not as assertive as their relatives, but they do keep their distinctive flavor in myriad dishes.

Chives are a cinch to grow—and they are usually the first thing up in the garden. They spread through their root system, so you must either give away the clumps with their roots attached or dig them out so they don’t overrun the garden. Cut them close to the base rather than snipping the tops and they will go strong all season. In May or June, they will blossom with a round purple flower that has a long green stem (similar to the chive itself, but hollow and tougher.) These make wonderful garnishes on scrambled eggs or in soup. They will keep in your refrigerator for a few days, but since they are so easy to grow, why not keep a pot in your window or plant them in an herb garden?

Scrambled eggs profit from just adding a handful (snipped to 1/8 inch pieces or smaller) to the eggs right before adding them to some sizzling butter in the pan. It gives them a fresh, spring-like taste and adds greatly to their appearance on the plate. Or you could get more creative and make the following dish:

Scrambled Eggs and Ham Pesto
Serves 6

¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup (packed) fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
12 large eggs
6 ounces finely diced ham or thinly sliced prosciutto

Puree ¾ cup oil, parsley and garlic in food processor. Add chives and cheese. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs with 6 Tbsp. water in a bowl until well blended. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the chive-parsley pesto. Add finely diced ham or shreds of prosciutto. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium low heat until haze forms above the pan. Add egg mixture and cook until softly set, pulling through mixture with heat-proof spatula. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Leftover pesto is great with fish.


I just can’t wait for my rhubarb to grow—I have to buy it at the supermarket. I love rhubarb so much that I get all that I can during the season and freeze it for winter use—but nothing beats the first harvest in the spring. I make strawberry-rhubarb jam, rhubarb crisp, lots of rhubarb sauce and, of course, pies. It is called the “pie plant” after all.

Rhubarb is really a vegetable but since it is too tart to eat without sugar, it is usually used for desserts like a fruit would be. It also appears as a side to many meats and accompanies other main dishes as well, but I usually make desserts from rhubarb. Sauce is a good dessert plain or with cream. It is just too easy to make:

Rhubarb Sauce

4 cups 1-inch pieces rhubarb
1 cup sugar
½ cup water

Put sugar and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Add rhubarb and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

If you want to expand on this simple recipe and dress it up for company, try the following recipe:

Rhubarb Compote with Quick Coconut Sorbet

2 pounds fresh rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
½ cup currant jelly
½ cup sugar
¼ cup minced crystallized ginger
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Quick Coconut Sorbet (recipe below)

Combine first 6 ingredients in pot. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until cold. Spoon into bowls and top with sorbet.

Quick Coconut Sorbet

1 15-oz can cream of coconut
1 cup ice water
¼ tsp rum extract

Whisk all ingredients in bowl. Transfer to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Freeze until frozen, stirring every 30 minutes, about 3 hours. Cover and keep frozen until ready to use.