Last Tuesday we conducted our 2nd Annual Yuma Road Trip for an educational and fun filled day to tour the fields and facilities of Mann's Packing, Sarah Farms, and Green Gate. Outside of the great experience provided by these three premiere vendors, we owe a big thank you to River City Grill, Da Boyz Italian Cuisine and Over Easy for providing a variety of delicious meals. We're already floating around some ideas for our next field trip and can't wait to share with you where we're headed next. Thank you to everyone involved for making this trip such a success.

Full-flavored field rhubarb and artichokes are beginning to arrive - fresh California asparagus becomes abundant, fiddlehead ferns start as the snow melts (I prefer the Eastern fiddleheads that are about a month
behind in harvest - April) and miner's lettuce pokes through in areas with high moisture and some sunshine. The first peas and baby carrots with a little butter and mint, the first of the torpedo onions, ramps and morels begin to creep into the marketplace.

You can count on the following ingredients to fuel a strong spring menu: Carrots, Celeriac, most of the Chicories, Kales, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Nettles, Sweet Onions, Sugar Snap Peas, Radishes, Bloomsdale Spinach
and Turnips Grapefruit, Kiwi, Kumquat, Meyer Lemons, Blood Oranges, Star Fruit and Strawberries. Miner's lettuce starts to peek through the snow in south facing slopes and think about using wood sorrel as a fun St.
Patrick's Day accent - a shamrock-looking lemony tasting green with yellow flowers is a fun addition to salads and to use as an edible plate garnish.

Start phasing out Bergamot and Seville oranges (the sour ones), cocktail grapefruit, Buddha's hand and Chanterelles as this is usually their last month. Other items that start waning this month are Brussels sprouts, Puntarelle, Cardone and Salsify.

St. Patrick's Day is a Friday this year and you can also celebrate the first day of spring on Sunday March 19th into the morning of the 20th!