Hey Friend!

Well, here we are, five months into the year and I have a very important question to ask you:

Would it even BE the month of May without this meme???

Shoutout to Kianna Davis, who shared her meme origin story with this gem. Check out her story here, it’s a good one!

🥬 May is a wildly abundant month, filled with exciting options from fruit to veggies!

Keep an eye on your local grocery store ads for what’s on sale because remember, if it’s on sale in the produce section, that usually means it’s in season!

​Check out the blog post here for a deeper dive on the peak produce of May, and hang on to the infographic below for all your shopping trips!

🔥 May is the month where things start heating up and people start thinking about summer.

Typically, folks lean into al fresco style meals when the temperatures rise, because they don’t wanna spend all day in a hot kitchen. Understandable!

And while I am spending nearly every waking moment this spring being jealous of people who can easily find fresh rhubarb, I’m also excitedly awaiting my little gardens first harvest! In the kitchen, I’ve been testing an oven-baked risotto recipe that is more hands-off than traditional risotto, stuffed with rosemary, peas, pancetta, and parmesan. I’m also finishing up post for a classic arugula spinach side salad with an herbal vinaigrette that is the perfect accompaniment to pizza Fridays and pasta nights!

Now it’s no coincidence that both recipes I’ve been working on feature fresh herbs, either baked into the dish or drizzled in a dressing on top, because to me, the key with springtime recipes is FRESHNESS, and there are few things that evoke fresh flavor better than herbs! Plus, they are a really great (read: easy) thing to grow and harvest all spring and summer long. From rosemary to basil to parsley, herbs do tons of heavy lifting when it comes to flavor work. And contrary to popular belief, herbs are NOT just for cooking!

🥤 wanna drink your herbs?

I love using herbs in syrups, and these three herbal syrups are perfect for adding a bit of excitement and intrigue to your springtime drinks, whether you’re having lemonade, lattes, or homemade soda!

sage simple syrup

lavender honey syrup

rosemary simple syrup

🍽️ wanna eat your herbs?

These salad dressings + sauces are top performers on the blog for a reason, they go with nearly everything and they are also perfect for marinating your favorite proteins during grilling season!

basil lemon pesto

parsley vinaigrette

herb vinaigrette

📬 an update about emails…

From January - April, I set a BIG goal for myself to email you every single week. And I did it!!! It was….overwhelming and underwhelming all at the same time. 😂

In an effort to quiet the noise, I recently set up a ton of email filters so basically nothing shows up in my inbox. Instead, it filters into neatly labeled folders for me to click to whenever I want to browse, and it’s been really great for my mental health. And that’s what made me realize: I hate getting too many emails. I seriously hate it. So if I hate more emails, why on earth am I SENDING MORE EMAILS?!?! 🫣

Truth is, it takes A LOT out of me to write these emails every week, because I pride myself in actually writing them. But as a one-woman-show over here, I’ve noticed that the more emails I send, the less people open. I’m sure there’s some marketing bro on Threads who will tell me I’m doing it wrong, but honestly, I’m tired. And if I’m tired of writing so many emails, you might also be tired of reading them!

🆕 So for the next few months, I’m going to test something new:

Two emails a month. Not 4. Not 5. Just 2. One at the start of the month, and one in the middle of the month. If that still sounds like too many emails to you, you can change the frequency here, or you can even say see ya later altogether!

But for those of you who choose to stick around, I wanna say THANK YOU, truly, for sharing your inbox with me. 🥰

Until later in the month, cheers!!! 🥂

P.S. I must know, are you a fan of rhubarb? I recently got to enjoy some rhubarb crumble bars and it just reignited my urge to try to grow it here in Florida. 😂