biscuits or 30 appetizers.
Read more about rosemary in:
Rosemary Remembered: A China Bayles Mystery , by Susan Wittig Albert
MARCH 1
The first of March is the feast day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. It is a Welsh national holiday.
The gardener’s autumn begins in March, with the first faded snowdrop.
—ANNE RAVER
The Welsh Leek
The history of the leek ( Allium ampeloprasum ) as the emblem of Wales goes back to the battle of Heathfield in 633 CE, when the Welsh wore leeks in their caps to distinguish themselves from their Saxon foes. That’s one story. Another variant: Welsh archers wore leeks in their caps at the Battle of Agincourt, fighting with Henry V against the French. Whatever the explanation, the Welsh now wear the leek on March 1, just as the Irish wear shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day. If you don’t have a leek handy, wear a daffodil, also an emblem of Wales. And if March has come in like a lion in your neighborhood, it’s undoubtedly a good day for a bowl of hot soup.
POTATO LEEK SOUP
3-4 leeks
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups chicken stock
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme
1 cup half-and-half (you can substitute milk)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley and chives for garnish
Slice the root ends from the leeks, and remove the fibrous dark green tops (save for vegetable stock). Slice lengthwise, wash, and chop the leeks. Heat the butter or olive oil in a medium-size stock pot. Add leeks and onion. Cover and cook over low heat until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes. Add thyme in the last 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Lightly mash the potatoes in the stock, using a masher or spoon. Stir in milk, and add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and chives.
Read about growing leeks and other alliums in your garden:
Onions , Leeks, and Garlic: A Handbook for Gardeners , by Marian Coonse
If they would eat leeks in March
and mugworts in May
so many young maidens wouldn’t
go to the clay.
—TRADITIONAL
MARCH 2
About this time every year, the National Fiery-Foods Show is held, celebrating the authentic fire-power of the chile pepper.
It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you’ve done, or what you think you can do. There’s a confrontation with destiny awaiting you. Somewhere, there’s a chile pepper you cannot eat.
—DANIEL PINKWATER, “A HOT TIME IN NAIROBI” (IN CHILE
DEATH: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY)
Fire Power
It’s a mystery. How can an herb that causes an intense burning sensation, tears, and sweating be one of the most popular in America? And how can a plant that packs a painfully disabling wallop also lessen the disabling pain of arthritis, shingles, and herpes? Mystery or not, it’s a fact. The popular, painful chile pepper can knock you down—and pick you right up again.
The most fascinating feature of the chile pepper is its ability to inflict pain and create pleasure at the same time. This personality quirk is caused by a plant alkaloid called capsaicin (cap-say-a-cin), unique to chiles, which causes the sensation of heat. How hot? The chile pepper’s fire power is measured in “Scoville units,” named for the courageous taste-tester Wilbur Scoville. On the Scoville scale, a bell pepper clocks in at 0 units, a jalapeño at 5,000, and the fiery habanero at a blistering 300,000. Capsaicin itself is an inferno, measured at 15 million units. When you’re in pain (a natural consequence of eating a jalapeño), the nerve endings release a neurotransmitter called Substance P, which travels to the brain with the message, “Hey, I’m hurting!” In response, the brain releases neurotransmitters called endorphins, which produce the pleasurable sense of well-being that
Read more about rosemary in:
Rosemary Remembered: A China Bayles Mystery , by Susan Wittig Albert
MARCH 1
The first of March is the feast day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. It is a Welsh national holiday.
The gardener’s autumn begins in March, with the first faded snowdrop.
—ANNE RAVER
The Welsh Leek
The history of the leek ( Allium ampeloprasum ) as the emblem of Wales goes back to the battle of Heathfield in 633 CE, when the Welsh wore leeks in their caps to distinguish themselves from their Saxon foes. That’s one story. Another variant: Welsh archers wore leeks in their caps at the Battle of Agincourt, fighting with Henry V against the French. Whatever the explanation, the Welsh now wear the leek on March 1, just as the Irish wear shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day. If you don’t have a leek handy, wear a daffodil, also an emblem of Wales. And if March has come in like a lion in your neighborhood, it’s undoubtedly a good day for a bowl of hot soup.
POTATO LEEK SOUP
3-4 leeks
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups chicken stock
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme
1 cup half-and-half (you can substitute milk)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley and chives for garnish
Slice the root ends from the leeks, and remove the fibrous dark green tops (save for vegetable stock). Slice lengthwise, wash, and chop the leeks. Heat the butter or olive oil in a medium-size stock pot. Add leeks and onion. Cover and cook over low heat until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes. Add thyme in the last 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Lightly mash the potatoes in the stock, using a masher or spoon. Stir in milk, and add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and chives.
Read about growing leeks and other alliums in your garden:
Onions , Leeks, and Garlic: A Handbook for Gardeners , by Marian Coonse
If they would eat leeks in March
and mugworts in May
so many young maidens wouldn’t
go to the clay.
—TRADITIONAL
MARCH 2
About this time every year, the National Fiery-Foods Show is held, celebrating the authentic fire-power of the chile pepper.
It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you’ve done, or what you think you can do. There’s a confrontation with destiny awaiting you. Somewhere, there’s a chile pepper you cannot eat.
—DANIEL PINKWATER, “A HOT TIME IN NAIROBI” (IN CHILE
DEATH: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY)
Fire Power
It’s a mystery. How can an herb that causes an intense burning sensation, tears, and sweating be one of the most popular in America? And how can a plant that packs a painfully disabling wallop also lessen the disabling pain of arthritis, shingles, and herpes? Mystery or not, it’s a fact. The popular, painful chile pepper can knock you down—and pick you right up again.
The most fascinating feature of the chile pepper is its ability to inflict pain and create pleasure at the same time. This personality quirk is caused by a plant alkaloid called capsaicin (cap-say-a-cin), unique to chiles, which causes the sensation of heat. How hot? The chile pepper’s fire power is measured in “Scoville units,” named for the courageous taste-tester Wilbur Scoville. On the Scoville scale, a bell pepper clocks in at 0 units, a jalapeño at 5,000, and the fiery habanero at a blistering 300,000. Capsaicin itself is an inferno, measured at 15 million units. When you’re in pain (a natural consequence of eating a jalapeño), the nerve endings release a neurotransmitter called Substance P, which travels to the brain with the message, “Hey, I’m hurting!” In response, the brain releases neurotransmitters called endorphins, which produce the pleasurable sense of well-being that
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