May 2011 Desktop Calendar

At the beginning of every month, I am offering C&Z readers a new wallpaper to apply on the desktop of your computer, with a food-related picture and a calendar of the current month.

Our calendar for May is a picture of spring vegetables (carrots, turnips, scallions) grated with the blade of my paring knife, rinsed, and ready to be steamed. The next chapter of their life will then be spent (briefly) on the plate, in the company of a soft-boiled egg and a thin stream of my best finishing oil, or coated in this simple tahini sauce, with a side of pita bread.

Bonus tip to go with this month's desktop calendar: the young, spring versions of the carrot and the turnip don't keep quite as long as the more mature ones, and if you're not expedient about using them, they can go limp and unappealing. Don't toss them! Just place them in a bowl with fresh water and a few ice cubes, put the whole thing in the fridge, and give it a few hours: the vegetables will perk right up. (It works with radishes, too.)

Instructions to get your calendar are below.

Here's how it works:

1- This link will open a new window (or tab) displaying the right wallpaper image for your screen.

2- Right-click (or ctrl-click for some Mac users) on the image, and chose the option that says, "Set as Desktop Background", "Use as Desktop Picture," or something to that effect -- the exact wording will depend on the browser you use.

3- If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference screen (on a Mac: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop; on Windows: Control Panel > Display > Desktop) and choose "Fit to screen" as the display mode of your background image.

4- Enjoy!

[Note: Readers of this blog live all around the globe, and I am unable to provide localized versions of the desktop calendar at this point. This is why I've opted for the international standard, by which a large majority of countries abide, and which states that Monday is the first day of the week.]