Spring is Sprouting!

Don't you just love Spring? The days begin to get a little warmer, the temperatures moderate and the trees and various plants begin to show signs of returning to life after a long period of dormancy.

Here in the North East, we have a strong appreciation for Spring, perhaps simply because the number of warm weather months are so greatly outnumbered by periods of cold. We savor every drop of Spring rain, and inhale deeply the fresh scents as plants of all variety and color begin to bloom. We are the type of people who start little trays of seedlings indoors during the dead of winter, so that we can transfer them into the ground as soon as the frost line disappears and the soil can be turned with a shovel.

I think that is why I was particularly amused to watch the news tonight and see our new First Lady, Mrs. Obama, turning soil on the White House lawn to plant a garden for her family....it made me itch to do the same. She told the children working with her that her children were more likely to eat vegetables if they helped to grow them, and she encouraged each of the children to go home and plant something of their own. Woman after my own heart, that one!

Gardening does not have to be elaborate or an expensive proposition. You do not need to have acreage to have a decent vegetable garden. I have seen people plant small gardens on the rooftops of high rise buildings in the middle of large cities, neighbors who have taken vacant lots and have turned them into community gardens, from small containers on their porches and decks, or even small table top gardens indoors. Personally, I have large outdoor pots that are waiting to accomodate a mixed herb garden (the seedlings are sprouting on the kitchen counter in pretty pots) sitting on my porch, and others waiting for the tomato plants that will be tied to the trellis. I have a front porch swing, and find nothing more relaxing than tending my small garden and then sitting back, swinging, watching the birds and butterflies hanging around as the sun goes down in the evening.

I often hear people complain about the high price of produce, but for a few dollars worth of seeds, a few containers (recycle milk cartons or coffee cans if you rather, or buy decorative pots at your local hardware store), or a small piece of your own back yard, you too can be enjoying freshly grown organic fruits and vegetables. I guarantee, nothing you buy at the finest grocery store will compare in flavor to what you have freshly picked from your own vines. Start with something you already love--strawberries grow very well in containers, as do most herbs, tomatoes, peppers and many other vegetables. Bring the kids along and make it a family project. Plant fruits and vegetables of different colors and teach the kids the health benefits of "eating from the rainbow". Or take these same veggies and throw them on the grill the next time you barbeque! You will be simply amazed at how roasting veggies on the grill will enhance their flavors in ways you never would have believed! As I write this I find myself daydreaming of a grilled caprese salad that I made last summer --- the tomatoes were warm and juicy from being freshly picked on a sunny day, the basil fragrant and the mozarella cheese that I picked up at my local Italian deli was freshly made and tender...just a few minutes on the grill to char the tomatoes and cheese made the salad amazing...all that was needed was a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and freshly cracked salt and pepper....as simple as it was, this was a memorable salad!