"SpringOnions" news and stories

Like ramps and asparagus, morels are synonymous with spring, and an edible reminder of the season's brevity. It feels less like morels have a season than a quick, annual engagement: catching them at the farmers market is like catching a solar eclipse, or Tom Jones at the MGM Grand in Vegas.

Morels are wild mushrooms that grow in forested areas throughout many parts of the country, and generally begin appearing sometime in April. They're usually available until the early summer, but their season can vary by a week or two depending on the region and the amount of rainfall. They're slender, knobby things with intricately ridged and wrinkled skin, and look like they sprouted from the pages of the Brothers Grimm. Their homely appearance belies their heavenly flavor, which is expressed to spectacular effect in the company of dairy, fat and and asparagus. Scrambled eggs are thus an ideal way to enjoy morels -- think of it as less an egg dish than a vehicle for delivering the best of the season to your very happy stomach.

Read the recipe for scrambled eggs with morels, asparagus and spring onions after the jump.

• Five-Spiced Grilled Chicken is ideal for both quick and leisurely stints at the barbecue.
• Raise a glass to grilling season with these recommendations for wines that pair well with both grilled food and budgets -- each bottle is under $30.
  
• Sweet and tender spring onions are in season, and here's how to store and use them.
• Star alert: A guide to the kitchen migrations of San Francisco's brightest culinary lights.
• The Bay Area works up an appetite for a full menu of summer food fests.
• Who's the tangiest of them all? The Chronicle ranks the many brands of bread and butter pickles.
• Forget grape, chestnut or fig leaves: Robiola Incavolata, a goat cheese from Northern Italy, is wrapped in cabbage leaves.
• Grilling season means grilling cookbooks.
• Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery upholds a San Francisco tradition of fashionably unkempt dining.
• E&O Trading Company grabs Chef Arnold Eric Wong to head its kitchen
  
• Down markets mean that fine, cheap wine is due for a renaissance.