I'm not usually one who talks about the weather, such as when you are talking on the phone with an elderly relative and the second sentence after "How are you?" is "How's the weather out there?" Or when you see an acquaintance in the grocery store and the first thing they say after the high-pitched "How are you?" is "Can you believe this rain/snow/cold/heat/humidity?"

On the other hand, while I don't fret about what the weather is outside, I do find that it affects what I feel like making for dinner. As we've come into some bright and sunny periods recently, dare I say, even warm, I've found that salads for dinner, two vegetables instead of one, bitter greens and sunny flavors such as lemon and lime have been on our menu.

When the weather gets overcast and chilly as it inevitably does in a Maine spring while we wait for the days to get longer and the warm southwest breezes to return, steaming soups, root vegetables, warm bread, roasted potatoes, braised leeks, rosemary and chives are what appears.

Because we have a thriving bed of asparagus, it's on the menu much of the time right now – chilled with a shallot and lemon vinaigrette when it's warm outside and served bright green and piping hot when it's chilly.

Snapping the fat tops off the green- and purple-hued stalks has become one of the daily "chores" for the girls, although they fight over who gets to do it rather than the more usual "It's not MY turn!"

An asparagus bed is fairly maintenance-free once the roots are in and settled. Just keeping it fed and weed-free is all it takes to produce enough sweet, grassy fronds until you almost tire of them.

It takes three years before the plants are strong enough to handle a harvest. One can't be greedy with an asparagus bed – clear-cutting is a sure way to weaken a bed quickly. Some must always be left. These stalks then grow tall and fern-like, with red berries dotting their fronds, and are cut down in the fall.

When the bed first sprouts, the stalks are thick (the width of a strong man's thumb) and then, as the energy diminishes, they become thinner and easier to overcook. If there ever was a case to be made for al dente vegetables, asparagus is it. Err on the side of undercooked. Even a little over done, they become unpleasantly mushy.

Enjoy the gray, chilly days of warm soups and bread; the days of hot kitchens will be here soon enough.

PORK, POTATO AND PARSNIP HASH WITH POACHED EGGS AND ASPARAGUS

Hash is usually made with leftover meat or fish from a previous meal. Feel free to substitute beef, salmon or other flavorful fish in place of the pork. If you want to use pork, but don't happen to have any on hand, you can simmer pork chops or pork tenderloin in 1 cup water, 1/2 cup white wine, 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and some black pepper.

Do this first and simmer while you prepare everything else for at least 45 minutes, longer if you can. The meat should be very tender.

HERBED SALT

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and set aside.

HASH, EGGS AND ASPARAGUS

1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

3 1/2 teaspoons salt (2 teaspoons for potato and parsnip water, 1 teaspoon for asparagus and egg water, and 1/2 teaspoon for hash)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Several grinds black pepper

1 pound cooked pork shoulder or other tender pork meat, pulled apart with a fork into bite-sized pieces

1...