From CULINATE.COM

A springlike dish for the final days of winter - Deborah Madison

March marks the start of the transitional spring-like season, which is one reason why it’s the hardest seasons for cooks and recipe writers alike — excepting, of course, those who live in California, Austin, and other warm places where daffodils cover the ground and almond trees are maybe even past their blooms.

For the rest of us, there are the same low temperatures and piles of snow — or, if not snow-covered, everything is brown. There’s mud and virtually no sign of sprouting things to be seen anywhere except under a thick blanket of damp brown leaves.

Thank heavens for my covered beds — at least there things are starting to grow instead of just staying the same size.

Regardless of how closely early March resembles February and January, we do feel, do we not, that spring is coming? Yesterday I noticed a collective surge in spirit. Everyone I spoke to felt buoyed by the fact that although it was 25 degrees when they woke up, it was 40 by nine.

But what to cook?

More at Culinate→
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From Lisa Barnes
Repost

Since winter started it seems every time I take my children to school there’s a new rash of sickness. Even with a healthy diet, lots of laughter and exercise, there’s no escaping the preschool germs. My kids (as well as the rest of our family) were ill over the holidays. This was a real bummer – at least for the adults. It’s too bad our kids count down and look forward to such dates. When they were smaller I could just “postpone” a holiday or occasion if need be.

On Christmas Eve, my husband and I took turns trying to stay awake with our five year old (who wanted to wait up for Santa) and then putting together and strategically placing the Santa gifts. This was all while running to the bathroom every 20 minutes. When I was looking for some empathy from my parents on Christmas day, they told me of stories when they did the same for me during my childhood. I guess “the show must go on”, and always has and always will. So while I felt bad that my kids would have a negative memory of the holiday, they were happy that Santa came and that they had popsicles for dinner. (The Christmas dinner I had planned, we enjoyed a few nights later when we were all back to solids).

I am often asked what to give a baby or child when not feeling well. I’ve always made camomile tea, broth and popsicles when my kids were under the weather. It gives them liquid as well as a dose of some needed vitamins and nutrients. It’s easy to have broth (in cubes frozen in the freezer) and a tray of popsicles ready for the first sneeze or temperature. For those wanting to provide some homemade broths and popsicles to comfort a little (or big) one here are some recipes to help. Stay well!

Very Veggie Broth
This is a favorite recipe from The Petit Appetit Cookbook as it is a basic broth recipe for a baby’s bottle or sippy cup. It delivers a punch of calcium and vitamin C for a child (or any age) needing a liquid diet or vitamin pick-me-up. Serve warm or cool in a cup or bottle for baby. Also this broth freezes well in ice cube trays for later use.

Makes about 3 cups; 6 servings

1 quart cold water
1 cup organic cauliflower flowerets, (about 3 to 4 ounces)
1 cup organic broccoli florets (about 2 to 3 ounces)
1 cup organic collard or dandelion greens, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 cup rounds organic carrots, (about 3 to 4 ounces)

Place water in a medium pot with a lid. Add vegetables and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cover pot. Cook for 1 hour.

Strain broth and reserve vegetables. These can be pureed or mashed for baby.

Not Just Baby Broth. This is a great broth for many ages and uses. It can be a liquid meal for someone under the weather, a calcium rich soup for baby, or a flavorful liquid for poaching meats and fish. Always having broth cubes in the freezer means lots of cooking options for you and your family.
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Dried Fruit Broth
If constipation is a problem and your pediatrician suggests juice, here’s a way to make your own broth that’s not as sweet as store juice and not as strong for young taste buds and system as well. This is much easier to swallow than full force commercially packaged prune juice, but will still have some of the laxative benefits.

Makes 1 cup broth

½ cup dried organic prunes, peaches, or apricots
2 cups water

Put dried fruit and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 40 minutes. Broth will be reduced, darker in color, and have sweet fruit flavor. Strain through a strainer into a bowl.

Want more laxative? Puree the remaining cooked fruit in a food processor or blender and mix with plain yogurt or spread on toast. The fruit can even be enjoyed alone as it will be soft, but lighter in flavor.
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Any Juice Pops
Look beyond the boxed pops in the freezer section of the grocery store. There’s no telling how many combinations and variations you and your children can make by having an ice pop mold on hand. These are nice and icy on a hot day and can be made with any juice you have on hand. Adding water dilutes the juice and sugar a bit and also lends a more “icy” texture.

Makes 8 (¼-cup) pops

1½ cups fresh organic fruit juice such as unfiltered apple juice
½ cup water

Shake juice container to mix contents before measuring and pour into pitcher. Add water to juice and stir.

Pour liquid into ice pop molds. Put the tops on and transfer to the freezer on a flat shelf to freeze until solid, about 1 hour.

To remove the pops from the mold, stand the mold in a bowl of cold water (or run water under one, to release only one pop) for 1 to 2 minutes until the pops lift out.

Kids Korner
Mix It Up! There’s no need to stop at one juice for these pops. Ask your child for flavor combinations. Combine orange and apple or pear and pomegranate. Once you get the hang of it you’ll be making lots of colors and flavors of frozen treats.
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See also Lisa’s Safely Feeding Babies - 10 Important Tips (plus one you already know)
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Image Credit: © Rmarmion | Dreamstime.com
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From Gene Logsdon
Upper Sandusky, Ohio

It was the first day of March, the first day the sun had shone warmly this year here in northern Ohio. The temperature was inching up to 40 degrees F. and it almost seemed summery. I wasn’t the only creature that thought so either. To my amusement, a slate colored junco hopped into a little pool of snow melt and splashed and fluttered around joyously. Looked like joy anyway. I had to laugh right out loud. It was hardly warm enough to go out without a coat on, yet here was this tiny bird obviously enjoying an outdoor bath. Why couldn’t I go for a dip too? Life just ain’t fair.

I decided to go for a walk to see if there were other signs promising an end to the cold. The first thing I noticed was that where my feet sank into the four inches of snow cover, the print of my boot filled with water. The snow was melting and the moisture was sinking to the ground, which was no longer frozen. I wasn’t too surprised at that. Every year about this time I see this happen. The constant soil temperature down about a foot or two is about 55 degree F. When the soil surface is insulated from cold air by snow that is about 32 degrees, it is not usual for the lower warmth of the soil to drive the frost up out of the ground, especially when the covering snow is melting in the sun. That’s why in snowy winters, the soil often thaws sooner in spring than in cold, bare-ground winters. Okay. We all know that. Hold that thought.

What I discovered next I could not believe. On the south side of the house where the snow was melting fastest, the winter aconites and the snowdrops were blooming wherever the snow was gone. Impossible, I thought. I had just checked the day before and there was nothing there except snow and my cold feet. Those flowers just could not jump up and bloom that quickly.

I tried not to get too excited. I needed to be the cold, logical scientist. Flowers just can’t spring out of the ground and bloom an hour or so after the snow melts. Just doesn’t work that way. I needed to hone my powers of observation on the situation more intensely— something I am not very good at doing. As I honed in on the edge of the retreating snow, I saw more snowdrops emerging into view. They had come up and begun to blossom UNDER THE SNOW.

Maybe this is just ho-hum for botanists who know how cold hardy snowdrops and winter aconites are, but I have never read any reference to it “in the literature.” It led me into totally wild notions. We’ve got all these monsantaclauses boasting about how they can save the world by genetically engineering fast-growing corn to produce fast-fattening food. Why don’t they put their minds to a really worthwhile goal. How about developing corn that will come up under the snow?

I can think of something even better than that. Why not genetically engineer a new biological thermostat for humans? If juncos can bathe in snow melt, why shouldn’t all of us be so blessed? Think how awesome it would be if science could jigger a gene or two that would allow us to enjoy winter without artificial heat. We are burning up our planet because we insist on living in climates that we aren’t supposed to be living in. We are tropical animals. If we were serious about saving the earth, we would have to admit that we haven’t evolved to live this far north. What if by some teensy weensy little genetic manipulation, we could endure the cold like polar bears do. I’m ready.
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Image: Dark-Eyed Junco on Wikipedia
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