Spring Choices

As I rode my bike to the Friday Brantome market I decided that I would focus on strawberries. They have just come into season and are to die for. Have you ever tasted woodland strawberries? Almost all of the strawberries in France taste like that. Well at least here in our region where strawberry is queen. 

The strawberry vendor was there ready for us early Friday morning. He had made the 40 minute trip up from Vergt which is our strawberry capital. On May 15th they have a strawberry festival with a tart 10 feet by 10 feet. Each producer's family contributes several tarts that are then put together to make this one grand tart. Before I knew this 'trick' it was a marvel to think that enormous tart was made all at once... oh the foolishness of my  non-baker American mind.

After my morning at the market I was going to come home and give you a recipe for something using strawberries. But standing there eating them warm out of the bag I realized that there is no recipe - the only way to eat something so perfect is au naturale.

So I wandered around and just in the nick of time found the last of the morning's sweet peas. A friend had mentioned having pea and ginger soup and I was eager to try this combination.

I purchased several handfuls of this green gold. The price of 5 euros a kilo includes the shell and does not include the time to shell them. 

But the soup recipe I found from the New York Times made up for any effort and time.

Here goes my lazy, yet delicious version:

2 cups shelled peas (can be frozen)

2 tblsp fresh sliced ginger (up to 1/4 cup of ginger depending on taste buds)

4 cups water or broth

salt and pepper

boil peas and ginger until mushy

puree.......hmmm it must be spring!