March into Spring

Here in North Carolina where the winter has been blessedly mild, I noticed driving into work today that my windshield had a slight dusting of pollen. For those that live in the South, the pine pollen is the traditional ushering in of the Spring Season. But this seems a little early. Regardless of my own interpretation of when spring should occur, when it does, it is always a welcome site.

What is interesting is how the seasons sort of blur at the grocery store. Yes, we know spring means strawberry season and summer is the ultimate fruit and veggie fest with fall ushering in ripe, juicy apples. Globalization makes almost everything accessible all year round. This seems to slightly diminish the anticipation of the new season and everything fresh it has to offer. Unless you are a diehard market goer, most of us get our produce from the grocery store. California is certainly the “salad bowl” for the U.S. So is Chile and Mexico. What would we do and how much will we pay if the markets are subject to trade wars? I’m not trying to get political. My observation stems from the fact that many, many items that we purchase every single day come from somewhere else. It is a seamless process without a thought as to how this all comes about. We are in the month of March, but I have no problem getting strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries in the dead of winter. Thanks to Chile and Mexico. Globalization is at our breakfast, lunch, and dinner table every day. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to share with you this terrific recipe for a Blueberry-Raspberry sauce with Black Currant balsamic in March.

This sauce is a quick 10 minutes of your time and is the perfect accompaniment to chicken, pork, and duck.

• 2 T Black Currant balsamic
• t sugar
• pinch of salt and pepper
• ¼ t lemon zest or lemon juice
• ½ t finely chopped fresh rosemary

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer for 5 minutes then mash the berries. Transfer to a sieve, with a bowl, and press the sauce through the sieve. This will capture the seeds, pulp, and rosemary making your sauce smooth. Transfer back into sauce pan and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add a bit more sugar if desired.