Off The Grid: Savory Herbs and Unsavory Weather

Greetings,

Savory Herbs and Unsavory Weather

Except for a few short-lived cold snaps, it has been a pretty mild winter here in North Carolina. From what I’ve been hearing, the same can be said for most of the United States. Of course, those of us who have been around a while know that it doesn’t take much for mild to turn wild when it comes to weather in February. All you need is a quick shift in the jet stream and, suddenly, arctic air is getting friendly with a moisture-packed storm system to send frozen precipitation your way.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that when it comes to the chance of winter weather wrecking your gardening plans, we’re not out of the woods yet.

This past Thursday, a rather famous rodent in Pennsylvania saw his shadow. Some folks believe that this event is a sure sign that we’re doomed to at least six more weeks of winter. Personally, I’ve got my doubts about the forecasting skills of groundhogs. While these pesky critters all seem to agree that a vegetable garden is a tasty buffet grown solely for their pleasure, they never seem to reach a consensus on this whole early spring or not question.

While Punxsutawney Phil was telling the world that winter was going to be longer than we’d like, about two-hundred miles away, in York, PA, one of his groundhog cousins named Poor Richard was predicting an early spring. Another Pennsylvania groundhog, Dover Doug, also thought Phil’s shadow was an optical illusion.

Up on Staten Island, Staten Island Chuck was telling New York City Mayor Bloomberg to expect an early spring and, though Chuckles the Groundhog in Manchester, CT agreed with Chuck, Fred la Marmotte in Quebec, Balzac Billy in Alberta, and Sir Walter Wally in Raleigh, NC had more pessimistic forecasts.

I find it kind of amusing that so many towns pamper a groundhog year-round for this one-day celebration but, as long as the furry fellows aren’t chewing on my veggies and herbs, I don’t see any harm in the practice.

Now that I’ve finally got around to mentioning herbs, this might be a good spot to mention that growing herbs is a good way to help protect your body from some of things that might cause you harm. The four herbs I’ve decided to mention today not only bring savory flavors to your table but also pack a lot of nutritional benefits….More Here

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