March Mixed Bag

With the one and only Caroline Pierce

March… What a month! I always feel a bit introspective in March. Partly because it’s my birthday month (I always feel weird and sad on my birthday), but mostly because it’s when I start to feel the need for a spring refresh – mental and physical. When the dust starts piling up in corners and my brain goes into autopilot mode, I know it’s time to get out of my everyday routine a bit.

I live in a quiet, cozy little town called Solana Beach in San Diego, CA, where the weather rarely, if ever, dips below 50 and I get to see the ocean everyday (something I will never take for granted). Basically, it feels like summer year-round. That said, I still fall into the end-of-winter mediocrity trap now and then. Here are some of my favorite things from March that brought me back to myself.

SOURDOUGH

I, like many others, found myself drawn to the act of bread making this month. After receiving a beautiful Dutch oven as a Christmas gift, I made it a goal of mine to learn and perfect the sourdough process. Getting started; I was super overwhelmed. The number of different recipes and baking times that I came across caused a major head spin. After reading through an entire cookbook, getting tips from friends, and scouring the web, I ultimately settled on following a random Instagram video (I know) that seemed simple and basic. After a couple tweaks and trial and error moments, I got a hang of it. And not to toot my own horn, but I mastered it fairly quickly.

Don’t let the initial swarm of info scare you! I recommend the King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour and a little bit of optimism. Once I found out what worked for me and my kitchen, I began baking biweekly and now there’s nothing better than a fresh loaf with a big ole’ slab of Kerigold butter and flaky sea salt.

WRITING LETTERS, JUST BECAUSE!

One of my new year’s resolutions this year was to bring back the lost art of writing letters to friends and family. There’s something so meaningful about receiving a handwritten letter expressing gratitude and love in a world of quickly written texts and missed calls.

Maybe I’m just overly sentimental, but I keep every birthday card, note, or meaningful message I’ve ever gotten. So I like to think that other people do this too and that maybe they can come back and reread my words when they need a little pick-me-up.

Quick disclaimer… stamps are really expensive now??? Don’t know what that’s about but my local bookstore carries some cute flowery ones that I think are worth the extra spend, especially when it can make someone’s day a little better.

LOCAL FARM VEGGIES
One of the best things I have ever done: start a subscription with a local farm that delivers a huge box of fresh veggies weekly or monthly. If you live anywhere in the SD area, Yasukochi Family Farms in Oceanside, CA offers Community Supported Agriculture boxes full of gorgeous in-season produce delivered straight to your door. All the fruits and veggies are grown using organic farming methods and you can seriously taste the love that went into growing them.

Adding this into my grocery rotation has taught me so many things: namely how to store produce to keep it as fresh as possible for as long as possible, and how to incorporate produce that I never would’ve thought to buy into my meals. Finding new recipes and ways to incorporate fresh fruits and veggies has given me a creative boost in the kitchen and helped me fuel my body in the best way.

Look at this haul!

VISITING FRIENDS & FAM
Growing up we always had a spring break to look forward to, and now as a working “adult”, I feel nostalgic for the days of family trips and a break from math homework. Having a trip to look forward to always keeps me motivated and makes the days and weeks leading up to it feel purposeful. I highly recommend a visit to friends and family in March to add that spring –seasonal pun intended – back into your step.

Thank goodness for TSA precheck and really great people who make quick visits feel like coming home. This March I was lucky enough to squeeze in a visit to Denver to see my favorite people and get some skiing in.

I got really lucky in the sisters department (my real sister, Charlotte, and my non-blood sister, Mary Alice AKA cofounder of Munger AKA She-EO of fun) who always fill my cup until it overflows. Thanks sisters!

READING

Okay so I recently got a kindle… and while I will always be a paperback book’s #1 fan, the ease and accessibility of a kindle have really changed the game for me. There’s a free app called Libby that acts as an online library database and lets you reserve books for free (after some waiting time if the book is already reserved) and I’m a sucker for anything sans payment. Plus, the waiting time builds anticipation and makes you appreciate the books even more.

Some of my recent favorite reads:

• God of the Woods, Liz Moore

• All the Colors of the Dark, Chris Whitaker

• Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy

If you have any recommendations, I always need more books to add to my list.

Happy spring! Thanks for taking a look into my mixed bag of March goodies. XOXO