Revered by many as the patron saint of Sicily, San Giuseppe, or Saint Joseph, is celebrated throughout Italy on March 19th with elaborate feasts. Husband to the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ's legal father, many Italians also use the holiday to celebrate Father's Day.

A blanket of pink cascades across the hillside and gently sways in a gust of wind. Carrying the warmth of the Mediterranean and the sweet smell of blossoming Sulla flowers on its wings, the breeze moves through the foothills of Sicily's mountains and to thaw the roots still clutching on to colder days now passed. In a wave of vibrancy, much like the bursting buds of the almond blossom trees, the arrival of wild Sulla flowers signal an awakening of the island's earth as she welcomes the warmer seasons.

Bud-laced branches hover above dry grass fields speckled with flashes of green. Warmth from an early spring sun melts the crisp air and tickles the buds to unleash their tight grip, quickly unfurling pale pink blossoms in a wave of color across Agrigento. Soon, these same branches will hang heavy with sweet Sicilian almonds. The first days of spring have been announced, and it is time to celebrate Sicily's awakening.

Amber, golden, translucent, creamy, sweet, herbal, floral, there is no shortage of adjectives available to describe nature's sweetest, purest candy: honey. For some, honey might just be the delicious bioproduct of the laborious honey bee's life. To others, it can serve as a biological map identifying the health and verdure of an entire ecosystem. For all of us, the stunningly diverse and unique nectar is a gift.

Bright, fresh, and sweet, the intoxicating scent of citrus floats on Sicily's saline Mediterranean breeze, swaying through the hills like the gentle surf that caresses its shoreline. Across the verdant island, striking hues of yellow, green, and orange pop through curtains of greenery. This symphony of color, smell, and taste springs from sidewalks, crawls up mountainsides, and adorns roadways, making Sicily the iconic citrus paradise it is beloved as.

The New Year, no matter when or where you celebrate it, is a signal of hope and rejuvenation. It is a time to reflect and think through both the good and bad that touched our lives throughout the past year. As we step into the start of our next cycle, it is also a time that we look forward, often beckoning a desire for change and betterment, however that may look. In Italy, this inevitable progression of time is celebrated with various customary practices and tradtitional food to both bid farewell to the past, and welcome the forthcoming future.

One of our favorite ways to incorporate fish into a tradition Sicilian Christmas dinner is by baking it to perfection in a dome of salt. Trapping moisture within its crust, salt baking a fish results in delicate, melt in your mouth bites of fish. Serve with our preserved lemon salsa to bring a fresh taste of the Mediterranean to your Christmas table this year.

Bringing influences from Arabia, Greece, Spain, and France, Sicilian caponata is an expression of the islands history. Stewed into a deliciously tangy, sweet and sour agrodolce sauce, eggplant is traditionally the hero of the classic dish. This adaptation swaps eggplant for hearty squash, making it the perfect dish to serve for the holidays.