Many years ago May 1st or May Day was a magical time to welcome spring. The night before May Day children would dance in the woods and make crowns of daisies. The next morning a tree would be chosen to become the May Pole which would be painted and decorated with flowers , ribbons and bright handkerchiefs. A May Queen would be chosen to lead the villagers in a dance around the May Pole celebrating spring. Whew! Sounds like a lovely tradition but a lot of work!!
My family’s May tradition revolves more around opening the cottage, cleaning out the cupboards and pantry and starting to stock them with a summer’s supply of easy but delicious staples to make my summer eating and entertaining a breeze. Having the advantage of starting fresh with a bare pantry every spring allows me to pick up all those great new items that I can’t wait to try out without feeling guilty about the amount of food that’s already in the pantry! Ingredients like pina colada shortbread, gourmet smoked salts and mango chipotle sauce will definitely grace my cottage pantry and table this summer.
If your kitchen or pantry is in need of a kick start but you don’t know where to begin think about our newest service The Kitchen Companion to help you out. We offer Personalized Kitchen and Meal Coaching designed to help get you organized in all facets of the kitchen. I’d be happy to discuss your needs with a free phone consultation today. I’ll help you make room for that Black Guava Daiquiri Jam and also show you how to use it!
So whether you choose to dance around the May Pole or simply put up the patio umbrella pole, enjoy the start of spring and pour yourself a cold drink....enjoy!