Spring is in the Air

As it would turn out, winter is not the only season in Wisconsin. Robins and crocuses have been spotted in here in Madison, and with their arrival has come the promise of spring. I may not need to tell you, but this is indeed very exciting. Outside of our apartment (this very moment) we have crocuses and chives poking their way out, and, if Tabasco doesn’t get to them first, we should have some very pretty flowers soon.

Last year, Tabasco and I simultaneously noticed the first flower of the season. It was a beautiful yellow crocus, defiantly growing amidst a backdrop of slushy grayness. I sighed in eager anticipation of warmth and bright colors. Tabasco waltzed right up to it, sniffed it, and in one single chomp, bit the head entirely off. He was like the grinch that stole spring.

This year promises to be better. I am looking forward to opening up our windows and doing some serious spring cleaning. Warmer weather also means that I will be able to make my own sourdough starter. I had some from Alaska, but while on vacation, it became moldy, so I had to get rid of it. It may turn out to be a good thing, though, because it will force me to use native wild yeast, so it will be authentic Wisconsin. (Literally, you set out your flour and water in a jar, with a cheesecloth to cover it, and within a few days, viola! You have collected your very own yeast and produced a starter).

While on the culinary theme, my sister, Kathy has inspired me to make my own cheese. Last week she called me up to tell me that she was making pizza. O.k, so what, you ask. Between her and her partner, they made a sourdough starter, pizza dough from the starter, their own beer, and their own mozzarella cheese to top their pizza. I was revolted and intrigued at the same time. Make your own cheese? Hmmm… Then the shame set in. I had lived in the cheese state for over a year. My husband is a bona fide Cheesehead (really, he readily admits it). I have even visited cheese factories and watched them make cheese. And it never occurred to me to make my own.

So I did a little research. I found out that rennet, which is a key ingredient used to curdle the milk during the cheese making process, is actually derived from the fourth stomach of a calf (usually the calf is not more than two days old). Yech! It sounded to me like cheese making was for witches. (Eye of newt, skin of snake, dried fourth stomach of a calf…) Ever wonder how these things are discovered? Anyway to my relief, I found that vegetable rennet is widely available and is created in a lab these days. I’ll keep you posted on how the cheese making goes.

Now that the ice is almost completely melted from most of the lakes, and the days are getting longer, I'm off to enjoy one of our first warm days of the year!