Signs of spring

It begins shortly after Christmas. An early sign of spring arrives in the mail; then another and another until my coffee table has a stack of seed catalogs 10-deep.

Winter may still be here in all its brown-and-cold glory but in a gardener’s heart it’s time to get growing.

Pouring over the photos of ripe red tomatoes and green peppers makes us yearn for warm weather and rich black soil birthing seedlings to care for.

Naturally, when the temperature reached the high 50s early in January I had to go out to my garden and see what was happening. I admit trying to pull a few weeds from the frozen ground – without any success of course.

Frozen ground does not stop a gardener from growing. One of my avocado seeds sprouted and I’m nursing a slender stick just now showing the promise of leaves. It’s been fascinating to watch how the roots flourished in a little water until the seed cracked in half and life began in earnest. You can see into the pit. It’s a wonderful lesson in plant biology. It’s also a thrill to be seeing life in the dead of winter.

We also have fresh carrots from last year’s harvest. Some of the tops are growing so I “planted” a carrot in a bottle of water and it’s spreading green all over my windowsill. At the same time I can see the roots forming in the clear plastic bottle.

Plants have an indescribable will to live - producing wonderful things for us to eat.

How often do we eat without giving any thought to our food? Plants are living, breathing organisms filled with nutrients, vitamins and even immune building ingredients that become a part of our bodies. We should be consciously choosing food that will become a part of us in a good way.

We are an inherent part of nature and eating in season keeps our bodies in tune with our surroundings.

How many of us are thinking about how to shed 10 or 20 pounds before spring? Our eating habits begin to “lighten” as the days grow longer and hopefully warmer.

Salads, pea pods, sprouts – the greens of the upcoming season are all important for our “new life” season that is just around the corner.

Cooking methods also follow the seasons. While in the winter months, we are baking pastries, stewing stews and simmering soups, now is the time to think lightly sautéed, fresh and less of the highly salted fatty foods of cold weather.

Then there is water – a very important and often overlooked part of our diets today. Our bodies are made of mostly water. Not the designer type of water either. Tap water, filtered or not, is okay for hydration. In particular during cold season, it is important to remain hydrated.

I used to drink fizzy water or mineral water until reading an article about how that water interferes with the acids in the stomach that are all important in digestion. Now I’m strictly water, coffee and lots of herbal teas.  Okay, milk on my cereal and soy milk sometimes for a treat.

Microorganisms in the foods we eat also contribute to our digestive processes and I’m talking about a little dirt now and then and not a container of high-priced yogurt.

Without belaboring how I feel about drinking pop or soda consider this quote from the Jan. 15 Business Insider, “Data from a recent study by the American Diabetes Association shows that while diet sodas may be free of calories, they do not prevent you from gaining weight (via CBS). In fact, they may contribute to weight gain. Diet soda also contributes to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-06-29/news/30010277_1_diet-soda-weight-gain-aspartame#ixzz1jcqZyh8k.”

Sorry, everything in moderation.

So get in tune with the season of spring whether growing or eating fresh vegetables and do your body a favor. Let’s talk more about growing vegetables starting next week. Until then…