Sure Signs of Spring

Chives are among the very first herbs to harvest each year. The tarragon is coming along, but the chives are ready to use. We have a couple of clumps, and one of the first jobs in the garden is to pick one to divide and replant, so as to insure a supply for the entire season. (The other job is to weed the asparagus bed...oh well, at least we'll have chives!)

And of course the other sure sign that the weather is changing is the arrival of the Shad with her Roe. There is a very interesting article in the WSJ about the life and times of the shad, which you can read here. (The Flanagans alerted me to another interesting story in a recent issue, involving the smoky pinot noirs being produced in Northern California - and not on purpose. Read that here.) Right now we are getting our roe from United Shellfish, where the supply at the moment is coming from the Carolinas. One of the more interesting points the WSJ article makes is that shad roe is one of the few truly "seasonal" seafoods - when it's here, it's fleeting and when it's gone, it's gone until next year.