This post has been sponsored by Oakhurst

We are smack dab in the middle of mud season here in New England. April showers may bring May flowers but right now it is bringing mud, mud, and more mud! I’ve definitely learned how to handle the mud after all these years…hello daily before dinner baths for two little boys! Which is a good thing because mud season around here also means the start of gardening season.

My dad has a tradition in our family of planting the first crop of peas on the first day of Spring. Weeks before he puts out his hoops to warm the frozen ground, and slowly but surely the Spring sun works its magic at defrosting the earth beneath the hoops and plastic.

Come March 20th, the ground is ready to be worked and the first rows of peas are planted. Some years we are planting peas with feet of snow all around. Other years (like this year), it’s just cold and muddy…but we always manage to get the job done!

While the first day of spring peas are already growing, most of the other vegetables in the garden are just starting to be planted. More peas, lettuce, spinach, radishes and carrots are all finding a home in both my dad’s massive garden and my own smaller (and for me more manageable) backyard garden. And where there are seeds to be planted you are sure to find two dirty and thirsty little boys who are ready to be refueled with Oakhurst Mud Season Chocolate Milk.

The boys love being part of the planting process. The other day when we were at my parent’s house they took their Oakhurst Mud Season Chocolate Milk and headed to their papa’s garden to check on the peas and carrots.

Big brother Carter enjoys supervising his little brother — who when given a shovel could spend hours simply digging in the dirt.

Harvest season may be months away, but the garden is already starting to yield tasty treats of spring. Take for instance the spinach which was actually planted in the fall then wintered over for Spring picking! It’s the perfect ingredient for my Spinach, Bacon & Blue Cheese Quiche which is made with Oakhurst Dairy milk and heavy cream. The boys love this quiche so long as it’s served with Mud Season Milk!

And why has Oakhurst Mud Season Chocolate Milk become my refueling drink of choice? Well with two active little boys running around they need to be rehydrated after all that outdoor play. And Oakhurst Chocolate Milk is perfect for replenishing what is lost in sweat: electrolytes, calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium. It’s perfect to rehydrate, but we also love the company behind the milk. As a New England based company, they made history back in 2003 when they pledged not to use artificial growth hormones in their milk.

Spring Planting and Mud Season with Oakhurst Chocolate Milk with Spinach Bacon and Blue Cheese Quiche Recipe - From the Family

Spinach, Bacon & Blue Cheese Quiche

Ingredients

4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 TBSP olive oil
½ lb bacon cooked and crumbled into small pieces
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
3/4 cup Oakhurst 2% milk
3/4 cup Oakhurst heavy cream
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste about 1/4 tsp salt & 1/8 tsp pepper
1 unbaked refrigerated pie crust either store bought or homemade!
flour for rolling out dough

Instructions

To wilt the spinach:

Wash your spinach and leave slightly wet. In a large saute pan heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add your spinach and stir to evenly cook until they have wilted. 4 cups may seem like a lot but they will cook down quite a bit!

For the quiche:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
On a lightly floured surface, roll out a full recipe of pie crust to about 1/4 inch thick. Place into a glass 9" pie plate, trim edges, and create crust border (I pinched the crust between my thumb and pointer finger. You could press with a fork instead to make it easier). You can also use a store bought pie crust if desired.
In a large bowl whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs and egg yolk. Season with pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper. Whisk until fully blended.
Evenly sprinkle the bacon, blue cheese and wilted spinach into the bottom of your pie crust. Pour the egg mixture into your crust.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until puffed and set. Let set on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Recipe Notes

Notes: I used a pie crust shield when baking my quiche. This helps keep the pie crust from getting too dark on the edges. You could also use strips of tin foil over the edges if you don't have a pie shield.