Spring
in the Willamette Valley
“We will seek the quiet hill,
Where towers the cotton tree,
and leaps the laughing crystal rill,
and works the droning bee,
and we will build a cottage there beside an open glade,
with black ribbed blue-bells blowing near,
and ferns that never fade.”
- Claude McKay
As the dark, dreary days filled with heavy rain clouds start to lift and streaks of sunlight pass through, we know spring is on the way. The air loses it’s winter bite and gains a certain scent. A delicate, almost unnoticeable smell of budding magnolias, daffodils and a renewed sense of life occuring everywhere.
As I walk through our forest, I look for that sign and smell that things are reawakening.
Tis the season to enjoy warm cups of coffee on the porch, cuddled in a sweater to welcome the morning or say goodnight; to walk alongside the river and watch the morning fog roll away from the water; to wander the lush forest foraging for new shoots; and to reevaluate where we want to go in this new season and who we want to be.
Here are a few of the blooming things you can look forward to if you live in Oregon in the Spring…
A few other favorites of Spring that I love to incorporate into a meal…
Farm Fresh Egg Salad with a Tarragon Aioli on Brioche with Arugula and Pea Shoots
Quenelles a la Porcini… an all time French Classic made with Wild Pacific Northwest Cod and a Spring Porcini Creme
An example of an arrangement using only spring florals…
My take on Fritto Misto …. a little fresher, a little brighter, a little more Pacific Northwest
Garden Rose Profiteroles with Roasted Rhubarb and Cardamom served with a Cognac Cream
