The spring bulbs and flowers are up in full force around Corvallis. Our backyard cherry tree (we think it's a Rainier?) is at its peak bloom this week, reminding us that fruits are just a couple months away. The garden I planted in our raised bed (leeks, spinach, lettuce, peas) finally seems to be showing signs of some growth, likely related to the nice dose of sunshine and warmer temps lately.
For our Easter Sunday meal, Nate and I purchased a 6lb. half-ham (bone in) from the nearby OSU Meat Center, a small storefront that sells cuts of meat from animals grown at OSU and butchered/processed by students in the Meat Sciences program. Along with the ham, we made a cold asparagus salad, homemade biscuits, red potatoes with herbs, and some festive cupcakes for dessert. I made stock with the ham bone and we look forward to a batch of split-pea soup soon (Nate's favorite) with the left-over
ham (which we froze).
Nate's in Iowa City this week, meeting with statisticians at the Univ. of Iowa to work on some modeling for a side-project he's involved in with his post-doc. He's also on a quest to eat some Iowa prime-rib and pie (both recommended by one Brian Degan, who was born not far from there and who seems to know the good-eats in Iowa!).
