may at the market
foods in season, eating notes + a playlist for cooking
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May is here, a gentle interlude between spring and summer. A feeling of ease begins to set in that characterizes the warmer months for me. Joan Didion describes, “You notice it first as April ends and May begins, a change in season, not exactly a warming- in fact not at all a warming- yet suddenly summer seems near, a possibility, even a promise…”1 Summer does seem near, if only for the longer daylight hours and profusion of growth in the garden. We’ve had a longer, cooler spring than is usual here, and plenty of windy days. However, the sunlight is gathering strength, casting stronger shadows and making my plants grow stronger, too. The roses are in full bloom, a profusion of petals that shower the ground like riotous confetti as they fade- “There is no escaping the storm of roses”2 Their showy display of ruffles and fluff are layered so thickly that I cannot help but think of ballerinas every time I pass them. The smells of the garden delight- “the smell of wild wet earth is everywhere”3 as well as the procession of blooming flowers, with their scents evoking strong memories of springs past- “sweet breath drifting through / the open windows: / perfume of memory—conduit / of spring”4
The culinary delights of May are abundant, and the variety expands week by week as the weather warms. The arrival of the first strawberries, shiny and juicy, violently red all the way through, even their juice scarlet- my children laughing to chew them and show me their bloody teeth. Basil making its first appearance, shy at first with long, gangly stems and softly green, tenderly scented leaves that curl downwards and get along amiably with other ingredients. Later in the season it will become stronger and toughen up under the sun. We say a tearful goodbye this month to asparagus, artichokes, peas and favas- the first heralds of spring veg- as the weather warms and pushes them out to make room for the heat loving summer vegetables. And then of course, there is the queen of late spring, if we are lucky, showing up at the very end of the month: cherries, in all their deep red glory, glossy and plump- as much a treat for the eyes as for the mouth.
Below, find a in season produce guide (I’m in Northern California), a few eating notes, meal ideas, poetry and a playlist to cook along to this month.