Borrowing Spring

At heart, I am really a reluctant vegetable farmer, and more of a lady gardener. I love growing flowers and the presence of blooms in the house whenever possible. For years I've been aspiring to join the garden club, in hopes that we lady gardeners might sip tea and talk roses.



Of course, the garden club has advanced to more salient topics like the raising of food crops on a small scale and herbs in containers and it is of mixed gender, leaving superfluous discussions about woody flowering perennials over tea and finger sandwiches behind. Now, my intellectual self can rationalize the benefits of learning to produce food but my heart wants flowers.



This weekend I had to travel 2 hours south to Boston to pick Emma up at the airport. I was delighted to realize I had driven in to spring. The trees were all flowering and the grass was deliciously thick and green. For a few days, I had been envisioning how to create spring tablescapes for our annual Eastover luncheon. When we hit South Boston, I knew my ship had landed. Emma and I, equipped with clippers, walked the streets of South Boston, past dog walkers and couples out to dinner, and helped ourselves to an armful of woody flowering perennials. We were borrowing spring. Thank you kind residents of South Boston.



In our little corner of the country, spring is coming slowly this year. We have daffodils and crocuses in the yard and a walk in the woods reveals the beginning of dock and trout lily by the stream's edge. With a shovel in hand, Sunday morning found us collecting a bit of our forest goodness to add to our Eastover tables.





We are in our 7th year of enjoying Eastover lunch together. Each year, the guest list grows.



 The food is always superb and the wine tastes just right. A Broadturn Farm lamb was served along with other classics like ham, potatoes au gratin, matzo and coconut creams. An eclectic bunch of folks, with a variety of food traditions for the Easter and Passover holiday, coming together to feast and make merry, with a little borrowed spring abounding....couldn't ask for anything better.

 Blessings on the meal,
Stacy

One set of smiling eyes was missing from our group this year. Bob, we missed you!