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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Cat survives electric shock, 25-foot fall in Grants Pass 10 things to know for Friday Emergency services Britt Festivals line-up kicks off June 6 10 things to know for Thursday Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Boy likely saved mom from being murdered 'It's about justice': Jackson County judge sentences young girl's abuser to 6 years in prison Two men charged with weapons crimes, drug dealing after traffic stop Forum discusses fire safety in Medford Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for one year Arthur I. 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Mangino: Shooting a fleeing suspect in the back Letters to the Editor, April 10 Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Editorials Our View: Emails contradict claims of Kitzhaber, Hayes Our View: All ethics reform bills should get a hearing Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: No easy answers to Mexican refugee influx Our View: State income tax sharing run amok Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 10 Letters to the Editor, April 9 Letters to the Editor, April 8 Letters to the Editor, April 7 Letters to the Editor, April 6 Columns Matthew T. Mangino: Shooting a fleeing suspect in the back Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Kent Bush: Facebook isn’t going anywhere George Will: When everything is a crime Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Guest Opinion: Pot opponents have good reason for concern Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Guest Opinion: Phoenix embraces Bee City USA designation Guest Opinion: Marijuana offers Oregon benefits, drawbacks Lifestyle Latest stories Hanging out at Hanging Rock Community blog: U.S. dietary guidelines change little with the times Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Fishing Report: Friday, April 10 App Finder: Top humor apps Food Community blog: U.S. dietary guidelines change little with the times Season Stepp: Try farmer’s market sunchoke in a creamy potato soup Page H. 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Auditions for youth musical set at Camelot Review: From past into present in OSF's 'Long Day's Journey' ‘A Dream of Red Pavilions’ at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Review: Education and its discontents Music The Brothers Reed celebrate new CD 'Sick as Folk' Britt Festivals line-up kicks off June 6 Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Gene Burnett tonight at Liquid Assets in Ashland The Farr Side: No Zayn Malik? One Direction stays the course Community Events 2015 Pear Blossom Festival kicks off in Medford Ashland Independent Film Festival announces 2015 lineup Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival MailTribune.com rolls out new calendar Easter egg hunts are a long-standing tradition in the Rogue Valley Dining La Tapatia is authentically delicious RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: Sunday, April 5 The Laughing Clam in Grants Pass offers seafood-heavy menu Standing Stone owners to open Medford brewpub and restaurant Restaurant Inspections: March 29 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Cat survives electric shock, 25-foot fall in Grants Pass ... Our View: Emails contradict claims of Kitzhaber, Hayes ... Hanging out at Hanging Rock ... Cat survives electric shock, 25-foot fall in Grants Pass ... Our View: Emails contradict claims of Kitzhaber, Hayes ... Hanging out at Hanging Rock ... Page H. Onorato: Bringing spring to the dinner table By Page H. Onorato More Content Now MailTribune.com By Page H. Onorato More Content Now Posted Apr. 8, 2015 @ 8:19 am By Page H. Onorato More Content Now Posted Apr. 8, 2015 @ 8:19 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> “Daddy, how come this milk tastes so funny?” I asked a few decades ago. “The cows graze on wild onions this time of the year; butter tastes a little odd, too, but it’s still good for you, so don’t complain,” he advised. I haven’t tasted onion-y milk and butter in years, so either the cows don’t go grazing anymore or the farmers figured out how to keep wild onions out of their pastures. But spring still brings changes to the dinner table, and most of us, weary of heavy stews and casseroles and burnt out on roasted root vegetables and boiled kale welcome the seasonal foods. Time was, before the advent of refrigerated transport of produce, folks rejoiced when spring finally brought fresh and new foods their way. Take chicken, for example. In olden days, dishes involving boiling up of old chickens who no longer laid eggs were served most of the year, things like chicken stew, chicken pie, chicken and dumplings. But in the spring, when the flocks were culled, youngsters appeared on the dinner table in the form of everybody’s favorite, fried chicken. Hence the term, spring chicken. Lamb also was traditionally a spring dish, because that’s when baby sheep born in late winter were slaughtered. Southerners were dicey about eating it, though, preferring pork or beef or poultry to cute little baby lambs. At my house, we had it two times in the spring, once roasted with potatoes and onions and carrots and once baked with sage and vinegar, a concoction so strong that it made our eyes water as it cooked. There was always the enjoyment of the first garden lettuce, served in a big bowl with bacon crumbles, green onions with a hot vinegary sauce and called wilted lettuce. Plus, after a long winter of sauerkraut and collards, the new potatoes and tiny fresh English peas hit the spot. We still enjoys these treats, especially in the springtime. Meanwhile, up in the mountains folks are out searching for ramps, those wild, garlic-y tasting stalks believed to ward off all kinds of illnesses and conditions brought on by winter’s woes. Artichokes grace many a spring dinner table and are best steamed until tender and dipped in a mayonnaise sauce or melted butter. Rhubarb, too, is invited, usually in the form of a pie, although many savvy cooks make it into a saucy dish or a marinade for meats and poultry. There really are people who eat fiddlehead ferns in the springtime, gathering them from deep, hidden, damp spots in the woods and sautéing them with garlic in olive oil. We all relish the asparagus of spring, even though we were raised with only the mushy canned variety. Now that Southern taste buds have grown up, fresh asparagus, steamed for just a few minutes and served with beurre noir is a favorite side dish. Local strawberries, too, are on their way to our dessert plates, and if Mother Nature cooperates with no late frosts we’ll all be digging in to the first shortcake of the season before long. And what could be more welcome than that tangy crunch into a radish just pulled up from the earth? It was always the first crop to grow in our vegetable gardens of yore, and we’d all munch down on the early arrivals. We youngsters at Robbins School with a nickel in our pockets welcomed spring with a trip to Michael’s Store, next door to the back playground. It was hard to decide which flavor of BB Bat to choose: chocolate, strawberry, vanilla or banana. Spring means lemon chess pie, Cadbury Eggs and carrot cake. It means cleaning the grill for the first cookout of the season, sipping a mint julep or two, eating a cucumber sandwich on the side porch for lunch, digging in the dirt for those radishes and pulling up the wild onions before the cows get to them. Welcome, sweet springtime, to the dinner table. Lexington (N.C.) Dispatch columnist Page H. Onorato is a retired teacher. By Page H. Onorato More Content Now MailTribune.com By Page H. Onorato More Content Now Posted Apr. 8, 2015 @ 8:19 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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