Oh, how I am yearning for the slightly acrid and pungent smell of wet, rotting leaves, shoes caked in mud, pop-up thunderstorms and mosquitoes. No, I'm not crazy, nor a masochist, just one of the many lovers of Spring. How I love her! I worship, on my knees, the feel of the warm rays of the sun upon my skin. I crane my neck up into the sky to, with eyes closed, stare into the orange fiery orb, so bright I can see it's glow through the thin veil the skin provides. I miss her dearly, and cannot wait for her return to my life. Only a few weeks now, if I can manage to hold off the winter blues, the cabin fever, the hell of another 15 degree day.
Okay, a bit melodramatic, but that is how I feel about spring. There is nothing like stepping out the door early one morning after bundling oneself up, as is the fashion for the majority of the year in the Midwest, to realize that your small amount of exposed skin is not beginning to turn black with frost bite. There is an odd smell in the air, and not of car exhaust streaming from neighboring driveways' pre-heating autos. The smell, not particularly pleasant but certainly welcome, is one of the earth thawing out; wet leaves, decomposing grass clippings and, depending on ones rural-ness, cow poo. It certainly is one of my favorite times of year, one that I know will eventually come and one that, as with the asparagus, will be gone soon after showing up.
Not is it only a end of that DREADFUL season called winter, but is also an ushering in of life. I love to watch the tiny buds of the crab apple start to crack open and get fuzzy, as if they are opening the door to their panic room and sending out feelers to make sure it is okay to emerge with flowers and leaves. Crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, and daffodils poke their green shoots out from the recently frozen ground and I am amazed that something so delicate and beautiful can withstand such terrible conditions and survive. I always think in spring that maybe we are the weak species. Such strength, beauty and life force in something so small; I am envious.
While every year I have my modest garden in which I plant a variety of vegetables, of which, most goes bad because I am feeding but a couple people or gets dumped onto other people, I thought that this year I would do things differently. With the help of my partner, Jason, I will be scaling up the food production, not only having our home vegetable and herb gardens, but also renting 2 plots at our local community garden. With so much space to grow, we have also signed up for a space at our local farmers market to try and see if a lot of time, a bit of money and responsible, organic and thoughtful gardening can turn into a hobby that not only makes us a couple dollars along the way but educates our community to the importance of buying local and in-season fresh fruits and vegetables.
All spring and summer we will be getting up earlier than normal, hoisting on the dirty jeans and shoes and trudging out to the garden to pull weeds, squish bugs, water and harvest. Every Saturday, starting June 13, from 9am-noon we will be selling our vegetables. We hope that our hard work with inspire others to try the same thing. Nothing helps a local economy more than it's residents making purchases from their neighbors, not a giant grocery store shipping in fruits and vegetables from South America. We are not here to change the way the majority of Americans shop for food, but to let people in on a secret - local and organic fruits and vegetables are not only better tasting, but are better for you, less expensive than prepackaged and processed foods, better for the environment and helps keep local money in the local economy.
We hope to see you on Saturday, June 13th for the beginning of the Jefferson Community Farmer's Market! Check back at The UKG for updates, recipes, ideas, tips and random summertime thoughts.
Info:
Jefferson Community Farmer's Market
7494 Clark State Rd
Blacklick, OH 43004
June 13-Sept 26 2009
9am-12noon
