After 27 years hand-producing and direct-selling countless tons of goat cheeses, I’ve accumulated quite a few options for creating variety with what’s at hand.

SPRING:  BANANA OMELETTE                                                                                                     prep time: 15 min.

True, bananas don’t grow wild in my neighborhood, but this recipe is remarkably successful for such a small and disparate set of constituents, so it’s included here for its adventuresome aspect as well as being seasonal.

Lovage is an extremely hardy and prolific perennial herb, with an assertive flavor somewhat reminiscent of celery. So easy to grow in any tiny corner of the yard even if it only receives a few hours a day of sunlight, lovage is one of the first green things to come back in the spring and is clearly proud to herald the return of abundance. A little goes a long way in recipes, but grab a sprig to chew on whenever you walk past it. It’s dazzling.

2 eggs, beaten with 1 T. water

½ a reasonably ripe banana, thinly sliced

3 T. soft fresh UNsalted goat cheese (sometimes labeled fromage blanc) If unsalted is unavailable, lightly salted may work, but the natural salts in lovage perfectly balance the banana without additional salt.

⅛ tsp finely minced fresh lovage

Have all ingredients ready and cook as for any omelette:  Pour beaten eggs into hot, greased pan. Distribute banana slices over the quickly-congealing egg mixture. Dollop the cheese over bananas and sprinkle lovage over the cheese. When eggs are liftable, fold omelette in half, cover pan, and finish cooking over medium heat.

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Laurie Goodhart and her husband co-founded and operated two certified organic artisanal goat fromageries, Nettle Meadow in Warrensburg, NY from 1990 to 2005 and Domaine De Courval in Waterville, Quebec from 2006 to 2017. She created and trademarked the multiple award-winning cheese, Kunik.

Goodhart lives in upstate New York and continues her lifelong work as a professional artist and avid gardener. Since 2007 she has devoted her studio time to an extensive suite of paintings and mixed media work titled, The Remnants And Residents Of A Lost Sanctuary Of Aphrodite.  She describes the work as, “resonant totems for liminal times”.  An iteration of the Lost Sanctuary is currently on view in the gallery of Stephen Procter Studiosin Brattleboro VT and can be visited by appointment.

Laurie can be reached through her art website, lauriegoodhart.com