Another Sunny Day in Beautiful Santa Cruz. Please Pass the Peas.

Splash Zone.

 There are a few things that I really enjoy about spring.  As much as I love cold wintery snow, a day of riding and schussing in my shirt sleeves can be just as nice.  But that never really happened this year for me.  For others, it is going on right now, and this coming weekend is looking epic.  Just remember to apply plenty of sun block.  I also enjoy waking up to the sun.  Come June, we will expect to look out our windows in the early morning and see a thick layer of fog.  Last year, that grey not only stretched inland to the central valley, but stuck around for six weeks straight.  It really killed our tomato season (well, to be fair, that killing was assisted by a few diseases that were going around).  But right now the mornings are sunny and the wind is not kicking up in town due to the continued stream of low pressure systems flowing into the PNW. Thank a friend in Portland or Seattle for their wet spring sacrifice.  But what I perhaps enjoy most about the spring is the emergence of new vegetable for our dinner plate.

Peas are fantastic.  They offer up a nice mix of protein, fiber and are a good source of (in descending order) vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, thiamin, folate, vitamin A, phosphorus, niacin, copper, iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6 and more.  All packed into that tiny, delicious pea.  My favorites are the snap peas.  Partly because I do not need to shell, and partly because I like that crisp and fibrous pod.  And peas are starting to show up in abundance here on the central coast.  They love this weather.  A good combination of sun shine, plenty of water and mild temperatures.  Once things start to heat up, only those plants in the shade, or a north slope tend to survive.

A shared peak at Wind And Sea

For a quick and easy snap pea meal, you can always substitute peas for cucumbers in the salad I wrote about last week.  You can even have both of them in there, if you like.  The peas play off the grapefruit and beets wonderfully.  Or you may want to try something a little different.  I like to call it Thai Slaw.  It is not really a Thai dish at all, but plays with the flavors.  It is really pretty simple to make.  Start by shredding a small (the size of a large fist - think Mike Tyson) red cabbage.  Shred, or cut into toothpicks, one large carrots.  If you have it, cut into toothpicks a kohlrabi or two.  Mince an once of ginger.  Seed and mince a half of Serrano or other hot pepper.  Destring, and cut into thirds about 12 snap peas.  Mix it all in a bowl.  Juice one small lime and hit with a splash of fish sauce and rice wine vinegar.  Finally, I like to add just a touch of agave syrup, to work that sweet and sour balance.  You are now pretty much done, but if you want you can add a few ounces of blanched shrimp or chicken.  In fact, it is a great way to use some left over grilled chicken breast.  Let it all sit for a few minutes, and eat.  And these vegetables are all available locally this time of year.

As for the weather (remember this is my weather blog), well, it is going to be sunny for a bit.  We will see a little cooling today and Friday, with a nice rebound over the weekend. The talk around town is 85 by Sunday.  While I doubt we will hit that mark here in Santa Cruz, some of the inland empire may get that warm.  Still, we can expect low 70s in SF, high 70s in coastal Santa Cruz and mid 80s in the SC Mountains and points inland.  As usual, head to King City for some real heat.  Next week looks even better with additional warming, as the storm track moves into British Columbia.  It also looks likely we will see another fog free week here on the coast.  Great for the garden and us humans, although the red woods my be a little sad.

A surfer threads the needle near Pleasure Point

The surf is still running in the small and fun range.  The long period south swell has all but disappeared to be replaced with a fun sized north west wind swell.  The open coast has been beat down with the winds, but the wrap into Santa Cruz has been pretty good.  The east side and Pleasure Point has had the cleanest conditions, but bring some foam if you are headed out.  While you can short board right now, it helps if you weight less than 115 pounds.  For the rest of us, a big fish, fun or long board is the tool of choice.  Tides are great this week for surfing all day, with a nice low in the early afternoon.  The wind swell should be about waist high in town through the end of the work week.  All in all, not the most impressive week for surf, but at least something is moving.

Great weather ahead.  Make some plans to get outside in the next few days.  This weekend should be off the hook.  Wear some sunblock.  Go to the beach.  Go on a hike.  Turn the garden.  What ever you do, get some fresh spring air.