As of now, sorrel, 2-year-old celery, and a parsley patch that I’m pretty sure has been alive for going on 3 years are the only green producing plants I’ve got in the garden. My kale starts have been planted, and I’m crossing my fingers that the slugs don’t lay waste to them before they have a chance to establish.

I usually wait until early May to scoop up some beautiful and healthy warm- weather starts from the local nursery, but this year, my lazy gardener’s method may not be an option. So, I’ve ordered 3 types of chile, tomato, tomatillo, basil, cucumber, and watermelon seeds, and I’ve got them planted and on a little heat pad setup indoors. A couple have already sprouted, and I’m waiting with baited breath for the chiles, basil, and tomatoes.

Until the garden really begins giving, I’ll be finding some creative ways to make sorrel, celery, and parsley extra delicious, and otherwise depending on our bi-monthly produce delivery for the more extravagant goodies.

Now, during self-quarantine, the difference between how I usually cook is that I’m trying to stretch our precious produce as long as possible, and I’ve also been taking stock of what we have in the pantry a bit more thoughtfully. I happened to have a ton of polenta on hand, and a handful of beautiful spring carrots, so this meal was born.

It offers just a peek of spring produce, heightened with za’atar, a salty kick of feta, and the rich creaminess of polenta (I used the greens from these little beauties for a carrot top and sorrel pesto earlier this week, which was delicious). If you don’t know za’atar, it is a middle-eastern spice blend of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac. It takes to pretty much everything swimmingly, and has rich nuttiness from the sesame, bright tanginess from sumac, and vegetal earthiness from the thyme.

This meal was simple and quick. If you don’t know how to make polenta, it’s super simple: bring 5 cups of salted water (1tsp salt) to a boil, and stir in 1 cup polenta. Lower the heat and let it simmer, stirring frequently, until the polenta has lost all it’s raw al-dente bite, 30-45 minutes. If you’d like more detail, here’s a foolproof step-by-step from the NY Times. This basic recipe also doubles well: I poured the warm leftovers into a ceramic dish, and used the chilled polenta block to make polenta fries the next night. Perfection.

Okay, back to the recipe. The carrots I rubbed with 2 tbs za’atar, 1/2 coriander, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp salt, and a generous amount of olive oil. I tossed them to evenly coat, then roasted for around 10 minutes at 425F, being careful to pull them out before the tops burnt (mine got crispy, just the way I like ’em) and before they lost their bite.

I topped the carrots with crumbled feta, drizzled some of the spice mixture from the pan along with some chile flakes, and that was it! Simple and satisfying.