Breaking in to song... spring is in the air

I love the change of seasons. I love when the first nip of cold air hits you towards the end of August; when you step out on a September evening and the air bites at your nose - just the tip; you get home and you light the first fire of the season; and in the kitchen you begin to think about an entirely different scene - squash, brussels, parsnips, beets, braised short ribs, apples, slow-roasted tomatoes with shaved goats cheese. Autumn.

... and Spring. As Spring approaches we're evolving from six months of minus temperatures, four months of snow, anemic tomatoes, brown-singed and wilted lettuce, and pock-marked zuchinni - seriously, who would want to invade us!

I count tonight as one of my first spring meals. Tonight I had wild asparagus from Provence, with morels (courtesy of Turkey), and Fiddleheads... from Ottawa. Local Fiddleheads. Spring has arrived. Okay, morels from Turkey are a bit of a stretch but they were superb - small, musty and wonderful mixed in with the wild asparagus, one of the most exquisite pairings, sauted in butter for sixty seconds; and dashed with freshly ground salt.

I will look forward, in the days to come, to more fiddleheads, wild garlic, local morels and local asparagus. And Spring is so short you can never tire of it. It is a wonderful interlude - one of two teases between the powerful forces of Summer and Winter. Enjoy!