Spring is here! (...and a little bit about mushrooms, sorbet, fresh mint, and raw almonds)

I don't know what it is like at your house, but as the trees begin to bud, leaves begin to grow, and my eyes begin to itch, I can't help but get excited about the seasonal produce ahead. The countdown to blueberry season has started and we have commenced the search for a freezer to store summer fare.

In the meantime, these are some of the foods catching our attention.


Oyster Mushrooms
The fresh mushrooms are from the Fall Line Farms co-op. We made a chicken dish Thursday night with them. The mushrooms were tasty, but the actual recipe isn't worth posting. Not sure what we are going to do with the leftover mushrooms yet.

Blood Orange and Honey Sorbet
To the right of the mushrooms is a blood orange-honey sorbet. Delicious! The oranges aren't local (Sicily is quite a distance), but have been a special addition to our menu this week. I had never tasted a blood orange on its own - oh my! As I was making the sorbet, the oranges were getting devoured. I placed three peeled and seeded oranges (minus a few wedges) in the blender with 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (substituting for 1/4 cup sugar) and ice. I put the mixture in a large bowl in the freezer because I didn't know what else to do with it, but that makes scooping a bit difficult since it is like a big bowl of ice. We are thawing it in a warm water bath when we want to scrape out a serving. Any tips?

Fresh Mint
Until now I have been missing out on the delights of fresh mint. It is a great addition to cocktails and fruit smoothies; I usually add three or four leaves to both. Thanks to the co-op I have been able to get fresh mint every Thursday that lasts about a week. And it is cheaper than the stuff from Columbia at Whole Foods. We made the following beverage recently, it had a very unique flavor and is something that I plan to make again.

Key West Minted Limeade
Adapted from Cooking Light

1/4 cup sugar (I used less since the ginger ale already has sugar in it)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 cup Fever Tree ginger ale, chilled
2 lime slices
Mint sprigs

Combine first 3 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. With blender on, add ice cubes, 1 at a time; process until smooth. Stir in ale. Serve over ice; garnish with lime and mint. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 (1-cup) servings.

Almonds
If you eat almonds, you might want to check this out: http://www.organicpastures.com/raw-almond-expose.html. When I was packing snacks for a retreat, I noticed the fine print from the grocery store on a pack of raw almonds. It said something about pasteurization laws and that some people no longer consider almonds raw that have been treated. I did some research and discovered California law requires almonds to undergo pasteurization if they will be sold in retail establishments. The law is in response to a bacteria scare in commercially produced almonds, which never affected the organic crops, but now they have to abide by the same law. The loop hole is that you can buy raw almonds direct from farms without the farm having to pasteurize them. The website link has pictures that illustrate the difference. With free shipping, I got a 5 pound bag for $35 (the website says $45, but I was told the website just hasn't been updated yet). The cost per pound was less than the bulk cost at our grocery store and they taste great. We like to toast them and add them to salads. I tried making almond butter, but my first try was a colossal failure. The blender ended up cooking the almonds instead of making a butter out of them. If you look for a truly raw almond source online, please make sure you read the fine print and know what you are buying. I found a lot of links and forum recommendations for companies that seemed a bit shady in their advertisements.

Happy Easter!
In closing, I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Easter weekend.