One of my favourite things about winter is the warm glow that the sun has just before spring comes. It’s a completely different sun than the other 11 months out of the year, and most of you will probably think that I am just totally crazy. My birthday is in March; I was born in the middle of the night, in the middle of a blizzard, and I am a true winter child, through and through. I, much to my mother’s dismay, am happiest in frigid temperatures with snow banks rising past my knees. Some of my fondest and warmest memories all stem from a true March morning, waking up to the smell of breakfast and walking into a world cast in golden shimmers, all just within our kitchen. The sun at that time of year finally has heat in it again and with it shining into an early morning window, it is full of hope and a promise of better weather yet to come. It signifies that there is a light at the end of the long, long tunnel that is winter in Alberta, and it fills us all with visions of green grass. Or if you’re like me, the endless hours of weeding that is just around the corner.
After the last blast of winter that hit the prairies, I will admit that even I am craving a little sunshine. Daylight savings time is coming up and the days are beginning to stretch out. We are finally able to remember and catch glimpses of those endless summer nights, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be reminiscent of the fresh tastes that accompany summer. I live for the days that I can just walk out to the garden and find something for supper! Today I find that I am craving foods that are packed with vitamins, perhaps a sign that I’ve been hibernating too long this winter! So in order to remedy that, I am making a spring asparagus soup; a nutrient loaded soup that has the taste of spring! This soup comes out very green, similar to the shoots of grass that start to emerge through the snow, or the tiny buds that begin to form on trees signifying growth and emergence. Even though my garden is still insulated by at least 3 feet of snow, I am hopeful that our little groundhog was right and spring really is around the corner! If March comes in like a lion then it goes out like a lamb, right? Wishful thinking at best. I really don’t think we are done with storms just yet, but maybe by making this I am creating some good weather karma and soon will be able to enjoy this with fresh garlic scapes, straight from the garden!
I love feeling that hope that fills us as the days get longer, but I am always a little disappointed to see the winter go. This year, there is a different kind of anticipation attached to my favourite glow. This year, I am planning some dramatic changes in my until now very stable life. It is exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time, but I know deep down it is going to be so good for me. Fifth Gen is expanding for the upcoming growing season and I am hoping to tackle a few completely new things as well. So I suppose this is where it all starts, me and my beautiful golden sun, giving glimpses of what is yet to come, and hopefully, truly beginning to shine.
**Recipe for the soup COMING SOON!!**
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