by Megan Winfrey

The Spring Picnic and Garden Gallop is this weekend, and I am so excited to take in some fresh air and pay a visit to the land that so kindly furnishes weekly meals for my family! I hope you all join me in a nice, lazy Saturday of eating picnic food, drinking cold beer, playing games, and admiring the 5k runners from a cozy lawn chair. I'm bringing a few dishes that really represent Spring for me, and that also pack up and store easily so that I'm not cooking in a frenzy on Saturday morning. And I sure can't wait to snoop on what everyone else is bringing! See ya'll there.

Spring Picnic Grub

First, I prepared two leek tarts, whose recipe I shared with ya'll in my first blog post here! It's one of my all time favorite things to make not only because it's absolutely delicious, but because it travels well and is perfect to eat at room temperature. You couldn't ask for a better picnic dish! Here is the recipe. I added eggs this time, breaking from the traditional French way. Both ways are stellar, I promise.



The other dish I plan to bring is more of an appetizer or snack and utilizes the amazing artichokes that just arrived at the JBG market stand. I freakin' LOVE artichokes. I love their natural tangy/sweetness and texture. And I hate that many people have only tried them in that funky, greasy spinach dip. Hopefully this will change that! Baby artichokes are the holy grail, because they don't have that weird fuzzy part that you have to scrape out of the big guys. Once cooked, you can pop the whole piece into your mouth!



You'll need:

• A bunch of baby artichokes, the more the merrier
• 6 cups water
• 6 tbs. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425ºF

First, cut the stems of the artichokes to 1 inch. Peel off the bottom leaves until all of the loose, brittle leaves are gone and a tight, green artichoke remains. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the tough outer layer off the stems and base of the artichokes. Fill a large bowl with the water and 5 tbs. of lemon juice. Quarter the artichokes and let them soak in the water/lemon juice mixture for a minute or two. Drain them, pat them dry, and arrange them on a baking sheet. Drizzle on 1 tbs. of olive oil, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly. Bake for 15 minutes, tossing them after 10 minutes.

While the artichokes bake, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing the yogurt, garlic, 1 tbs. olive oil, 1 tbs. lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl.

Once the artichokes are done, arrange around the dipping sauce and enjoy! These are just as good hot as they are cold.