I think my right forearm may be larger than the left, but I’m relieved to finally be finished pruning in the vineyard. It is satisfying to see that job completed, however my favorite time in the vineyard is when the little shoots bud out and are 4-6 inches tall. That sea of green on the vines after the long dormant season makes my heart swell with joy. It is a promise fulfilled.

All around the county, shrubs are blooming with early spring colors. On Sunday, I visited the Scarbrough’s place for Emory Blooms. The azaleas were stunning pops of color along the paths that led through the wooded property. That was my second visit to their property and once again, I struggle to find the right words to describe the experience. Words like peaceful, serene and tranquil come first. Then, knowing how hard I work to achieve just a bit of beauty at my own place, I think industrious, ingenious and meticulous should also be included. Regardless, the place is magnificent, brilliant and incredibly impressive.

Afterwards I weeded a few of my own flower beds. They are less than impressive, but it felt good. I cleaned up one area and discovered that a peach-colored iris is getting ready to bloom. I received the plant in the mid-90s as a birthday gift. Those rhizomes traveled with us when we moved to Colorado and then back again to Texas. It’s amazing that the ugly roots have such resilience – another promise fulfilled.

With that note, I better get back to this column’s purpose – food. After enjoying the beautiful day, I wanted dinner to be light and flavorful with lots of fresh herbs. I had thawed ground beef and pork and planned on making meat loaf. Somehow that no longer interested me. We’ll have meat loaf another day. Instead I used part of the pork to make meatballs for gyros with tzatziki sauce. I strongly recommend homemade pita bread. Gyros are great, but the fresh pita made it excellent.

Grilled Pork Meatballs
1 lb. ground lamb, beef or pork
1/2 c. onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs
1/4 c. feta cheese crumbled
1 egg, whisked

Combine all ingredients and roll into balls. I made 20. Spear 4 meatballs each onto metal skewers. Refrigerate while the grill heats up and make the pita dough.

Pita Dough
1 pkg. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 c. warm water
4 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Let it sit while the yeast blooms. Then add 2 cups of the flour and stir. Add the salt, the rest of the flour and olive oil.

Stir until it becomes difficult and then use your hand. Knead by scooping the dough from the far side of the bowl and folding it over. Just try it, it will make sense. Add a little flour if it is too sticky to work, but not more than half a cup. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let it rest.

Now that the grill is hot, turn to medium heat and grill the skewered meatballs about 4 minutes on each side. I used both a spatula and tongs to flip them over. When done, remove and cover with foil while making the tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce
1 c. yogurt
3/4 c. cucumber, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until dinner. At least 30 minutes in the fridge will help the flavors meld together. While that happens, roll out and bake the pita bread.

The recipe makes about a dozen small pitas. Just divide the dough and roll out on a floured surface while preheating an oven to 350 degrees. I placed 3 pitas at a time on a lightly greased baking sheet and cooked for 5 minutes on each side.
When ready to serve, heat a small amount of olive oil in a hot skillet and toast the pitas on each side. We only used a couple, so I stored the rest in a plastic bag and refrigerated for another day.

I served each toasted pita with chopped lettuce and tomato, meatballs (removed from the skewers) and topped with tzatziki sauce. The grilled meatballs had a herby flavor with a hint of lemon and the cool-as-a-cucumber tzatziki sauce was tangy and fresh. But it was the texture of the pita bread that I liked the best. Surely you’ve had freshly made tortillas, and if so, you know a sack of 20 in a bag on the grocery store shelf could never compete.