If it’s April, it must be time for spring cleaning.

Unfortunately, that happens to be at the very top of my “Most Hated Chores” list, primarily because even before I begin, the job seems virtually hopeless.

We’re both pack rats, John and I, which means there’s literally no closet, shelf, cupboard, nook or cranny that isn’t overcrowded, to say the least.

Trouble is, much of it has been acquired while traveling, and every item is a memory that can’t be disposed of easily. Same goes for albums filled with decades of family photos, boxes of small trinkets given to us over the years by children and grandchildren, all impossible to part with.

And then there’s the garage, a large space intended to house two automobiles, but never will. There is no room for even one automobile, or even our lawnmower, because the garage was transformed into John’s shop years ago and is filled with every woodworking tool known to men who make beautiful things out of large chunks of wood. And yes, there are not only chunks of wood in the garage/shop, but many boards of varying lengths, saws that could take your arm off in an instant and mystery machines I know little or nothing about.

I can’t blame the garage contents entirely on John, however, because my lifetime collection of recipes is also housed there. File boxes full of recipes I wouldn’t relinquish for anything and, if I live long enough, will someday finally all be scanned into the computer … maybe.

My most treasured cookbooks, however, some very old and impossible to replace, are always at hand in the kitchen, which is yet another area I won’t even bring into this discussion at this point.

I realize that right about now, you’re thinking “Who gives a hoot in Hades what she has in her garage, or anywhere else?” unless you, too, suffer from the “I hate, loathe and detest spring cleaning” syndrome.

If so, you’ll understand that the reason I even brought up such an unpleasant subject is because I want to tell you about a recent discovery that leads me to believe there may be hope for we who just can’t get the job done.

Readybot. That’s its name, Readybot.

It’s a robot that picks up clutter, including magazines, toys, newspapers, shoes, clothing, whatever, from the floor and takes it to wherever it has been pre-programmed to deposit the evidence. Readybot could then signal your Roomba robot vacuum cleaner to vacuum the floors. Roomba can slide under beds and furniture, and even get behind toilets where all that nameless gunk you can never quite obliterate gathers.

Readybot can also be programmed to scrape your dirty dishes and load them into the dishwasher (something you’ve never been able to program your kids to do, right?), and to water plants, dust furniture, and you can even call it on your cellphone with instructions, if you’re held up in traffic or sitting in the ferry line.

I’m still researching what other chores Readybot may be capable of, but I’m definitely interested.

There is a slight problem, however; Readybot is presently very expensive, depending upon complexity and the number of capabilities you want programmed in, and even though Roomba has been around awhile and is not that dear, it adds up to a lot when added to Readybot. I suspect I could hire local cleaning services for considerably less, and would consider doing that but for one major drawback. I’d have to get rid of a lot of clutter and “stuff” first, so they could do their job.

That sounds a lot like spring cleaning to me.

Note: To learn more about Readybot, just type that into your favorite search engine.

RECIPES

A friend recently gave me a small robot kitchen tool, one you’ve probably seen advertised on TV. It’s called RoboStir. It has a sturdy black torso (battery/motor container), long, spindly legs and little silicone feet. When you put it into a pan of sauce, soup, liquid of any kind and turn it on, it stirs the liquid for you, moving around the pan, quietly humming, leaving you free to do something else. I was dubious at first, but it is turning into a very useful kitchen friend, and when I make this spring risotto dish, RoboStir will do the 15 to 20 min. of stirring while I make a salad to go with it.

SPRING VEGETABLE RISOTTO

1 T. olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

½ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped carrot

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed

2 cups Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

6 cups vegetable broth (or broth of choice), hopefully homemade, heated (keep warm on stove while making the risotto)

6 thin asparagus spears, cut into half-inch pieces

1 small zucchini, diced

½ cup fresh early spring shelled peas, or snow peas cut in thirds or halves

1-2 cups fresh coarsely chopped mustard greens, or use fresh baby spinach

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine the oil and 1 T. of the butter in a heavy 4-qt. pot over med.-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and garlic; cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften 2-3 min. (be careful not to brown them). Stir in the rice and cook, stirring about 1 min., until rice is coated and mixed in with vegetable mixture.

Add wine; cook, stirring, until wine is mostly absorbed. Begin adding the broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring after each addition until liquid is almost absorbed before adding more broth (here’s where my RoboStir will take over). Reserve ¼ cup broth to add at the end.

After about 15 min., add the asparagus, zucchini and peas. When the rice is tender but firm, about 5 min. longer, turn off the heat. Add the mustard greens and remaining broth, remaining 1 T. butter, ½ cup cheese, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to combine all with the rice. Serve immediately with additional cheese to sprinkle on top, if desired. Serves 4-6; easily cut in half for 2.

We should be finding fresh fava beans in the produce section before long, and these notoriously healthy morsels make a delicious springtime soup. You won’t even think about how nutritionally loaded this soup is, just enjoy it.

SPRING FAVA BEAN SOUP

3 oz. prosciutto, chopped

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

2 leeks, white part only, diced (about 2 cups)

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. chopped fresh oregano

¼ cup dry white wine

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups shelled fresh fava beans (1 lb. fresh beans will give you about ½ cup shelled beans)

1 cup chopped zucchini

1 cup chopped asparagus (½-inch or so pieces)

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

½ cup shaved Pecorino cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

1 T. minced lemon zest

Sauté the prosciutto in olive oil in a large saucepan over med.-high heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel; reserve dripping.

Sweat the leeks, garlic and oregano in the same pan with the drippings over med.-low heat until vegetables soften, about 5 min. Deglaze the pan with the wine, simmering until liquid is nearly evaporated. Stir in the broth; bring mixture to a boil. Add beans, zucchini and asparagus. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper; reduce heat; simmer until vegetables are tender. Stir in basil and sautéed prosciutto. Serve soup garnished with Pecorino, mint, and lemon zest. Serves 4.

Note: To shell and prepare fava beans, string and remove shells, then blanch beans for about 30 seconds, shock immediately with ice water. Their outer shell (hard to digest) will then be easy to peel off and they’re ready to use.

Another of my lighter, springtime favorite meals is salad; chicken, tuna, shrimp, crab, diced ham, whatever you have on hand or can think of to use on top of a bed of mixed greens. Whenever you have leftover chicken on hand, try this one.

ORANGE-ZESTED CHICKEN SALAD

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 T. orange juice

Zest of half an orange

4 cups diced cooked chicken

1 cup halved seedless red grapes

3/4 cup diced fennel bulb

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 T. chopped fennel fronds

1 T. chopped fresh tarragon

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, orange juice and zest. Stir in chicken, grapes, fennel, almonds, fennel fronds and tarragon. Season to taste. Serve immediately on a bed of fresh spring greens, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Serves 4.