It's hard to imagine that Easter is just around the corner. It's only four weeks away, and though that may seem a long time from now, time sure has been flying! We're already well into March, and the time changes this weekend to Daylight Savings. Thank goodness our phones change for us now!

Sometimes we need to write about food that we've had in the past. It's easy when the food is good. It's even easier when it's something you loved so much that you remember and can practically still taste every single bite.

Some foods are not just memorable, they're also ones you crave and can't wait to have again. For us, those include sweet Washington State cherries, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from the Apennine mountains in Italy plus a host of favorite olive oils...and COLOMBA.

I can close my eyes and imagine pinching off a bit of the tender bread, making sure to get a little of the sugar-crusted top, and popping the soft, light and fluffy Colomba in my mouth.

COLOMBA, a.k.a. Easter Panettone, arrives fresh from Italy just in time for Easter. For us, Colomba signals the freshness that Spring brings. If you're not familiar, Colomba is a seasonal panettone that is shaped like a dove (with a little imagination). The dove signals reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness.

We'll have a limited supply of the cakes. So order now to reserve your Colomba. Even if you're local, make sure to place an order or call us so we can hold one for you. Not quite sure? But still think you want one? It's still good to place the order; you can always cancel it later. We just don't want you to be disappointed.

Shop now for this year's selection of Colomba!

Click Here To See Everything Featured in This Newsletter!

This recipe is adapted from Joan Namkoong's cookbook, "Go Home, Cook Rice."

Portuguese bean soup is a Hawaiian Island favorite, unique to the Portuguese community which adapted their recipe to the local ingredients of Hawaii.

Although the recipe has amounts listed - there are no exact amounts - Joan recommends using whatever you have in your fridge or around the house, in whatever quantities you like. Kale, chard, watercress, macaroni, chili flakes...whatever. The only well defined ingredient is the Portuguese sausage.

This recipe freezes well.

See the Portuguese Bean Soup Recipe here!

Similar to a classic Panettone -- a light buttery egg bread, studded with candied citron and orange, and raisins, finished with a sweet glaze. The perfect antidote to your Panettone cravings in the middle of Spring.

Shop now for Albertengo Colomba Classica!

This soup is about the texture of the barley as much as the flavor from the garlic.

See the Barley, Broccoli, and Cannellini Bean Soup Recipe Here!

The history of barley is a long one...a very long one.

In prehistoric times, barley grew among the wild grasses. Nomads from the Near East gathered barley (and einkorn) long before organized agriculture took hold.

There are two basic types of barley, and both existed back in ancient times: Hulled and without hull. The difference is hard to understand, but here goes: In hulled barley, the hull binds to the kernel and does not come off during harvest. In hulless barley, the hull is not bound to the kernel, and it falls off easily. So hulless barley does have a hull -- but the hull comes off easily, leaving the whole-grain kernel intact. With hulled barley, the hull must be rubbed off—using a process called "pearlizing."

For some reason, modern industrialized western countries disregarded hulless barleys. From a nutritional standpoint, that was not a good thing, because pearlizing barley removes most of the bran during the process of rubbing off the hull. With hulless barley, no bran is removed, leaving the complete, whole-grain goodness of barley intact.

Lucky for us, hulless barleys did not go away. They are still an important food crop in Northern Africa, the Middle East, and in the Himalayas. And lucky for us, farmers are bringing back ancestral crops and growing them here in the Pacific Northwest - including Purple Barley.

Barley stands out for its wonderful flavor and many nutritional qualities. The maltose in barley gives it a fine, slightly sweet taste, and barley is high in Glucan Soluble Fiber - the fiber that helps lower cholesterol and reduces the glycemic index - which helps to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The FDA has recently labeled barley as "heart healthy."

Lastly, the pigment in Purple Barley contains high levels of antioxidants, specifically Anthocyanin—the same antioxidant found in beets and purple cabbage. Generally speaking, antioxidants found in grains are more stable than those found in fruits and vegetables.

Functionally, barley can be substituted for wheat in almost any recipe, with the exception of leavened bread. Barley is not suitable for making bread because it is lower in gluten than wheat. But, feel free to add a little color to your pilaf and risotto!

Shop now for Organic Purple Barley!

Capellini #3 (also known as Spaghettini #3) Italian pasta is about a third thinner than spaghetti, but slightly thicker than what you might think of as typical angel hair pasta. It is a good choice with light seafood sauces. Made with certified Italian Grown Durum wheat.

Shop now for Capellini Spaghettini Pasta!