Trust in spring.

It will come. I know it will.

I keep repeating this to myself, two days after the equinox, when the weather is as chilly and dreary as it’s been all winter.

But spring will come—or rather, its lovely weather (the calendar tells us it’s already here). And I trust that it will. The tiny arugula and lettuce sproutlets in my covered garden spaces tell me so.

If you need a dose of spring, here are a few photos for inspiration. I’m just back from a food conference in Santa Barbara (don’t hate: the cold, foggy weather, while better than it was here, was hardly California dreamy). I visited the Saturday farmers’ market—let’s call it earning extra credit instead of playing hooky from the conference—and was wowed by the bounty. Everything is in season there. I brought back 2 pints of strawberries (very carefully), a half pound of freshly roasted local almonds, some golden flame raisins harvested just last fall and the most gorgeous assortment of dried beans, all purples and reds and blacks, that I’ve ever seen.

Here’s some farmers’ market veggie porn, just to tide you over …

related recipes

roasted sugar snap and shallot salad
white bean puree