Springing Back

Okay, so I've been AWOL a few months as I wrapped up a big project (more on that later) which, along with my day job and my City Paper gig, consumed about every free minute I had for writing. Besides, it was winter, the farmers' markets were all closed, and there was nothing even vaguely interesting on the shelves of the grocery stores, which I swear become more and more predictable with every passing year.

It used to be (unless memory is failing) that even the big corporate grocery chains like Publix and Bi-Lo had some variety to their offering. I'd show up for a weekly shopping run and could browse the meat department and always find something that wasn't normally there, like a pork steak (great slow braised) or lamb shanks. Not anymore. It seems like it's the exact same cuts week in and week out these days. Sometimes there's a special price on this or that, and I'm sure there's a lot more different cuts and types of meats than there were, say, around 1980, but it's always the SAME variety.

Ah, but Spring is finally here. The Marion Square Farmer's Market opens for the season next Saturday, and Boone Hall Farms has just put out fresh asparagus and their first picking of strawberries at their market off Highway 17. (The Strawberry Festival at Boone Hall is just two weeks away).

It's time to dust off the old blog and start exploring Lowcountry eating once more . . .