Spring in my step

A whole week of gorgeous weather! (Gasp) Such good fortune! The sun has been shining benignly. The air is sweet and crisp. Magnolia blossoms quaver modestly, fragile white and satin smooth. Tulips nod in the wind, vivid and friendly.

Rituals of renewal traditionally include recreational vaccuming and other manifestations of 'spring cleaning'. I dug around my music, looking for Raga Basant... I have fond memories of spring concerts by the river. This year's Spring music highlight was The City Concert presented by the Rochester Philharmonic. It was quite a treat - The RPO includes faculty at the Eastman School of Music and the concert was at Eastman Theater! In 'Flower City' style, we ushered spring in to the strains of Beethoven, Strauss, Copland and John Williams.

Other spring highlights included a trip to the Ithaca Farmer's Market. Nestling by the river, the market is truly a colorful destination in many ways! Everybody has kind, expressive eyes. The flavors seem fresher, brighter, somehow.

Suitably inspired, a meal was born: Squash and tomatoes with bulghur, sprouted moong bean and raw mango salad. All I did was sauté squash and chuck in some tomatoes. I didn't add spices because I wanted to showcase the simple, fresh flavors of the vegetables but I am sure some ginger and bay leaves would work quite nicely. Bulghur, the husky cousin of couscous is super-easy to cook. As for the salad, I sprouted whole lentils (moong) and tossed in some chopped raw mango (yum!) and lemon juice. Enjoy!


Join fellow foodies as we shop at our local markets. The season has just begun and I'm looking forward to all kinds of goodies through summer and fall. More Spring things at Meeta's gorgeous blog monthly mingle! Don't miss the round-up!