Egg Party

The reason why eggs are often the focus of Spring Celebrations is because they are the ultimate symbol of fertility, birth, and renewal. Whereas on the Winter Solstice we celebrate the rebirth of the Sun, on the Spring Equinox, we celebrate the rebirth of the Earth. Because we live in a rather cold climate, the Earth is really only just barely beginning to come back to life at the time of the Spring Equinox. We often still have several inches of snow on the ground. But this year, I felt the timing of the equinox corresponded quite perfectly with the new life emerging outside.

The party scene

On Sunday we had an egg party in my mom's backyard. I made quiche, equinox pound cake, and popovers, and many of our friends and family members came with yummy food too.


14 out of 40 guests arrived by bike, which I thought was pretty excellent, especially considering that it was rather cold and windy out, and that everyone had to travel at least 3 miles to get here.

I loved seeing all the bikes parked together.

The kids ran around and played in the sandbox and the grass table between bites of food, occasionally pausing to warm up by the fire. We also did an egg hunt, and--our favorite Spring Equinox activity--filled blown-out eggs with birdseed and threw them at a tree. I think everyone had a pretty great time. I know I did.

The kids pooled all of the eggs from the egg hunt into a collective basket,
and we divided them up at the end (to ensure that it would be fair).

Aviva reaching in for another birdseed egg.

Lukas getting ready to throw his egg (and make a wish for spring).

My hope is that next year, we'll have an egg party with eggs from our very own chickens! One of our plans for the next few weeks is to build a chicken coop, and we are very excited about it.

And because they were so popular at the party (literally disappearing within seconds of my placing them on the picnic table), I thought I'd share our favorite popover recipe (it really works, every time!).


2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1-3/4 cups milk, warmed to just above room temperature
2 tablespoons melted butter (plus extra for the pan)

Preheat oven to 450°. Mix dry ingredients. Beat eggs until light, then add milk and butter. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.

Preheat a popover tin in the oven for 5 minutes. Paint each cup with melted butter. Pour the batter into the pan, filling each cup nearly to the top.

Bake at 450° for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30 minutes more. This recipe makes six popovers, and can easily be doubled to make 12 (and, you may want to go ahead and plan to make 24, since that's what we ended up needing).

Serve plain or with apple butter or maple syrup. Enjoy!