Spring is here. In spring the open fields, some vineyards, and the orchards are covered with blankets of yellow. It is the mustard in bloom. This is unplanted, untended, mustard serving no purpose but beauty. This scene was caught about 15 miles from my house. It is just one of several that I passed on my way to drop off my tax papers. Taxes always put me in a cranky mood; I really hate the process of pulling together the paperwork to get the job done. I need to be more organized. So, being greeted by this great mood lifter, I tended to forget about the chores caused by a complicated tax code. The intense yellow set off by trees, not yet in leaf is certainly eye catching. There are very many fields of intense yellow that dot this county as well a those nearby.

If you have traveled the wine country north of San Francisco someone may have told you that we have this mustard because the missionaries dropped the seeds in order to find their way to and from their missions. I was assured by a U.C. Farm Advisor that this is not the case. Many years after the missionaries had left California the mustard was planted under the trees in the fruit orchards as a cover crop. A cover crop crowds out the weeds during the winter and keeps the soil warmer than it would be if the ground were left bare. A lot of the fruit trees are gone now, some replaced by vineyards, but the mustard blooms on. At the end of spring the seeds blow free and the following year we see they have reseeded and even multiplied for even more beauty.

Yes, spring is here ... sort of. It seems to be coming in fits and starts. Some things are very late while others are way ahead of schedule. I set the most mature of my new plants in a protected area on the front porch to harden off. I had planned to share with you a picture of these strong, healthy plants just waiting for the soil to warm. They were there three days when suddenly they were back in the house. The weather man had predicted a very cold storm that might even drop a little snow on the nearby hills. It turned quite chilly and there was a very strong, very cold wind. The end of the week the temperatures are predicted to be more than 70 degrees again. I will wait a day of two before I start them on their way again.

My Nigella (Love in a Mist) seems to be on the fast track again this year. I bought a package of seeds several years ago thinking I would enjoy the flowers and then use the seeds in the kitchen. When I gathered the seeds they tasted very different from those I had been using and they were much smaller. They had the essence of perfume, lovely, but quite different. I spoke with one of the spice companies about it. They were very cordial, somewhat interested, but had no explanation. Since I was so uncertain I chose not to use them in the kitchen and planted no more. That was just as well. Now I have them blooming in profusion everywhere. I pull them in early spring, try to get to the flowers before they seed but there is no practical way to eradicate them. I would be content to just keep them thinned enough so each plant can show its beauty but I never seem to have enough time to get that done.

My rosemary does not always look like this. It does bloom nicely after each rain or when it is well watered, but the five weeks of rain that fell last month really brought out a mass of blossoms. Rosemary is a lovely plant. It can hold it's own in a drought, produce a lovely bloom when given a little water and fills the kitchen and dinner table with a marvelous aroma. I have a friend on the east coast who keeps rosemary as a potted plant. She brings it in come the winter and has even pruned and trimmed it to use as a small Christmas tree.

According to my favorite garden guru, Stephen Albert, of Harvest to Table http://www.harvestwizard.com/, it is time to get ready for the new season's planting. His March almanac says it is time to pull out all the root vegetables from last season. He was talking about last fall's beets and carrots that some gardeners have been storing in the ground all winter. I took care of that rather quickly and then I put in a couple more rows of kohlrabi to fill the empty space.

They say kohlrabi is a root vegetable but I have a little trouble with that. The edible bulb actually sits on top of the ground and is described as a swollen stem. You really need to try these in your garden. Those you get fresh from your garden are almost sweet when eaten raw. They are good for lunches, yours or the kids. Of course, when you plant any of the kohl family, cabbage or even Brussels sprouts, in your vegetable garden you will find they are much sweeter than any you purchase in the supermarket. Kohlrabi belongs to the brassica family: kohl meaning cabbage and rabi meaning turnip. Indeed it sort of looks like a turnip with wild stems popping out of the orb, growing on top of the ground. I have to admit I am not as fond of it when cooked. Perhaps, like cabbage, I need to learn to cook it less. If there is some left after the salads I might try again.

I planted the first kohlrabi about three weeks ago. This planting will be the last for this year... until fall. The vegetable needs a little more than two months of cool weather, 75 degrees or less. Remembering that mother's adage, "never sign your kids up for 1st season swimming " (they will shiver through most classes), I am assuming that I will have enough cool weather through June. This year I planted white kohlrabi, next year I think I might try purple.

A recipe for Spring or Summer, whichever it is that day

Bev's Spanish Chicken

With this off and on weather, spring, heavy rain, spring, maybe snow and then temperatures in the 70s, just what does one plan for dinner? This recipe, Spanish Chicken, has a little color for spring but is hearty enough to satisfy one on a chilly night.

I had lost my copy of the recipe and had to email Bev for help. (I really do need to get organized!). Bev now lives in Maryland in a lovely home by a pond. She was always well organized and wonderful to work with. Indeed she had the recipe, "on the original 3 x 5 typewritten, yellowed and speckled card", she said. The recipe originated from friends of her family, a doctor from Spain and his German wife who was very charming and a great cook. Bev shared the recipe when we were neighbors in Hawaii. I have updated it slightly. When we first cooked this chicken there was no Spanish paprika available as there is now, nor could you buy roasted red peppers in a jar; I think both add a little to the dish. When Bev received the recipe she was told either white wine or dry Vermouth could be used. I am not sure we were sophisticated enough to have Vermouth on hand then, but now, older and more worldly (LOL), we agreed it might be the better choice. It is.

Bev's Spanish Chicken

1 chicken, about 3 1/2 lbs, cut into 9 serving pieces or the equal amount of thighs and/or drumsticks.

Salt, pepper and Spanish paprika

1/4 cup olive oil (Spanish if you have it)

2 cloves garlic, peeled, left whole

1 large, or 1 1/2 medium green peppers, seeded and cut into strips

1/2 a 16 oz jar of roasted red peppers, cut into strips

1 15 oz can of garbanzos, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup dry vermouth

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup chicken stock or water

4 tablespoons chopped chives

Generously season the chicken on all sides with salt, pepper and Spanish paprika

In a large skillet, with lid or a Dutch oven heat the oil over low heat. Add garlic. Watch carefully, stirring often until the garlic is barely golden. Do not let it brown. Remove the garlic and set aside.

Increase the heat and brown the chicken on both sides in the garlic infused oil. As the chicken is browned remove from pan and place on a plate. After all the chicken is browned and removed, place green pepper strips in the same pan and stir fry, over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the peppers to the plate and drain all the oil from the skillet.

Return the chicken to the pan, add the garlic cloves, the green and red peppers and the garbanzos. Pour the vermouth over all. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and place in a 325 degree F. oven for 40 to 50 minutes. When the chicken is done remove and arrange on a serving platter, leaving the liquid in the pot. Cover the chicken and keep warm.

Place the flour in a cup or small dish and add chicken stock, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Stir this into the liquid left in the cooking pan and thicken the sauce over medium heat. Pour this mixture over the chicken and run under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes.

Top with chopped chives and serve with rice or flat noodles.

Tip: Bev and I each used white wine in this dish for years and enjoyed it. If you don't have Vermouth, don't buy it just for this. It will be fine with the wine. Sauvignon blanc comes to mind. Just avoid any sweet wines.

All braised chicken dishes are good with dark meat pieces. This one will be very good should you choose to use just thighs or thighs and drumsticks.

If you care to roast your own red bell peppers instead of using the bottled ones, by all means do that. They would be wonderful here. If you use the bottled ones, look for those that are whole, not cup up. It is much prettier when they are cut into strips like the green ones.

If olive oil is not your pleasure, use any "light" olive oil, or canola.