Memorial Day Weekend

Irises @ EECO Farm, 5/29/11

Today was a perfect day. It really felt like a summer day, even though that day is still a few weeks off.  Where I live, Memorial Day is the "official start of summer".  Translation: the population of this tiny community explodes with people, cars, surf boards, long lines @ the restaurants, coffee shops and parking lots. The traffic will be completely nuts for the next 3 months, with lots of honking and crabby drivers everywhere....and I am glad because it is good for our economy. I am going to work really hard at not complaining about it all. We had a long cold winter and a longer wet spring....I am glad that it has stopped raining and the sun is out part of the time and that people are here to enjoy our beautiful part of the world.  Main Beach was named one of the Top 10 Beaches in America this week.

I got up and went out fairly early to visit two farms. They were both bursting with new growth. Everywhere I looked there were irises, daisies and other wonderful flowers. And then, the vegetables and herbs everywhere. At Balsam Farms in Amagansett, they are selling Radishes, Arugula, Zucchini, Asparagus and beautiful Lettuces. I love this sign on the Radishes. It says: We Grew It!  How much simpler can it get?

Balsam Farms Radishes, 5/29/11

In my travels today, I was looking for cilantro. I hoped to buy some fresh but I couldn't find any. I love a good Corn and Black Bean Salad with scallions, lots of cilantro, sun-dried tomatoes and a light dressing. I could have gone to the IGA and bought it, but as I was talking to Christie @
The Springs General Store (I am SO GLAD that she has the vegetable stand open there again), she asked me:  How about some basil instead? And so, I changed my thinking and made the salad with basil instead of cilantro. Now, this might not sound like a big deal, but what I did is purchased the local basil from Christie instead of buying the cilantro from a grocery store. Her hard work of growing those herbs for us (our community) was rewarded by my purchase. By the way, Ned loved the salad with the basil! And, while I was in there, I noticed these darling little nosegays in the refrigerator. How much better can something be? A bunch of fresh mint with a chive flower in the center. Put together by one of my favorite farmers, Paul Hamilton, I was thrilled to purchase it and put it on my kitchen window sill. It brings me great joy every time I look @ it.

Paul's Mint & Chive Nosegay, 5/29/11

And so it is Memorial Day weekend and we honor those who have died in wars. I continually hope that someday we won't be fighting in any wars.  It is also the weekend of the Indianapolis 500 which was run today. I am a native of Indiana, and the sound of those cars racing around the speedway is one of the most familiar and thrilling sounds I know. The older I get, the more I am moved by sounds and smells and sights from my childhood. It all seems like another lifetime ago. I miss my siblings and my cousins and my parents and grandparents. I probably wouldn't change most things about my life, but I do often feel that it is too bad that I live so far away from my family. And so, to cheer myself up on Indy Race Day, I made Deviled Eggs. I don't know why, but to me these are all about my childhood. You really can't beat the simple taste of this treat!

Deviled Eggs on 5/29/11

The end of a satisfying day full of friends, food and wonderful memories.

Expect good things....