Spring Has Sprung!

Spring is here and there is only one thing to do--plant a vegetable garden!

By Khalil Hymore

I can't believe that the first day of Spring was heralded with snow! It was infuriating to wake up the other morning, hoping for a warm sunny day, only to see snow falling outside my bedroom window. I trudged to work that morning daydreaming of bright red rhubarb, fresh asparagus, and tender baby carrots (my favorite Spring veggies). Even in my funk, I did take comfort in the certainty that warm weather is on its way.

Growing up in California, you get used to having local fresh fruits and vegetables available much of the year, without much concern for how far they had to travel. Sad, however, is the North Easterner who craves a locally grown tomato in February. Thus is my predicament. To me THAT is the hardest part about living in a seasonal climate--the wait. My parents, both originally from the East, were more than happy to leave behind bitter cold weather to raise a family in sunny California. For me, the cold weather isn't the problem, (snow is still somewhat of a novelty to me) but rather the lack of fresh produce.

My Aunt Susie in Webster, New York, is probably getting ready to plant her spring garden (pesticide free, of course!), which will feed her family well into the Fall. What she doesn't grow herself, she supplements from local farm stands or the farmer's market. She rarely shops for produce at her big box grocery store. In fact, her locavorism extends well beyond the garden patch. In addition, to supporting local farmers, my Aunt Susie also buys her meat from a local butcher, who hand makes THE BEST SAUSAGES! The remarkable part about my aunt's garden devotion is that she lives in a suburb of Rochester, in a regular neighborhood on a simple corner lot. She doesn't own acres, yet she manages to save money, feed her family, and do right by the environment. Oh yeah, and she works full time.

Even the President and the First Lady are growing a garden of their own. Michelle Obama, along with the White House chefs, broke ground on the first official White House vegetable garden, since Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden during World War II, on the South Lawn last Friday. The garden will not only feed the first family, but will also provide a bounty for state dinners, (how very Blue Hill at Stone Barns of the First Family!) and be used as a teaching tool for school children. The list of the 55 different kinds of fruits and vegetables was put together by the white house chefs and there are even plans for beehives and fresh honey!

As for my dilemma, well...sure, I could eat tomatoes from Florida and suffer from the guilt that comes from knowing that it is packing pounds onto my carbon footprint. Eating produce from far-flung places is not really an option for me and I definitely try to limit my consumption of produce that travels more than I do. I guess the upside to my seasonal climate is that I always have something to look forward to, and that time is just around the corner!