After a long cold winter, spring fever hits me hard, and I will admit to not acting my age sometimes. Which is why I was so excited to find green garlic in my garden for the first time ever–meaning I actually remembered to plant garlic last fall. The beautiful, tender, immature garlic poking through the mulched soil eased my spring anxiety when the weather was still toying with me. The key for me was to not pull it all up–just a few of the sweet bulbs to make a spring treat that will hold me over until I can start harvesting the lettuce and baby kale that will come next.

In order to maximize the enjoyment of my harvest, I decided that I would paint my subject first, because along with eating seasonally, I also like to paint seasonally.

And for a recipe, I decided to make a crostini with Stuarts bread, Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery chevre, and lightly sauteed green garlic.

Crostini Recipe (serves one)

2 stalks of green garlic

1 piece of sourdough bread (or any bread, really)

2 table spoons fresh chevre

1 table spoon olive oil

1 pinch of salt

Slice the garlic clove and stalk thinly an saute in olive oil until tender–the white clove will turn golden. Set aside. Toast the bread, spread the chevre, and top with the sauteed garlic and sprinkle with salt.