Notes from a plant nerd: Spring, Sprang, Sprung, Sproing! What is Springtime?
Spring has fully sprung across Southern Appalachia, as we are awakened daily to birdsong and the bustling morning activity of bees and butterflies.
Staring up at the branches on ‘Berry Lane’
A month ago, on a day that was officially in winter but which felt like spring, I was walking in the woods near my house.
Notes from a plant nerd: Hope for the Hemlocks
In springtime, all things are possible. Everything around you that is alive is imbued right now with the same hopeful energy.
Now is a great time to submit soil samples
Experts are using the spring weather to remind people to test their soil if that has not been done in the last two to three years.
The "Whole Bloomin' Thing" Festival
Each year on Mother's Day Weekend, the “Whole Bloomin Thing” Spring Festival brings flowery fun to Waynesville. This year the festival will take place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 13, on Commerce and Depot streets in Frog Level.
March is a tease, so hello April
March is over. It’s over at last, thank merciful heavens.
Notes from a plant nerd: Worts and All
Among the duff of last year’s fallen leaves lie many interesting and beautiful shapes to catch your eye on a winter’s walk in the woods. From the mosses and orchid leaves described in previous columns, to newly emerging plants preparing for spring’s full flush, there are many forms and patterns on the winter forest’s floor.
Spring & Easter Events
Easter Celebrations
Chickpea Salad
Today, Wednesday, Feb. 10, is one of those unseasonably warm winter days. The days that invoke a yearning for spring, a yearning for the feeling of walking outside without tension gripping your entire body. These unseasonably warm days will increase in frequency as we move toward the end of March, into the new season.
Grow your groceries: Use quarantine time to start gardening
Spring is in the air these days, but so is uncertainty as the COVID-19 crisis continues and millions of Americans are unemployed, working reduced hours or simply adjusting to life under a quarantine with no clear end in sight.
It’s a cocktail that even has folks who have always considered themselves to be brown thumbs thinking about starting a vegetable garden. A lot of people have a lot of extra time on their hands these days, and given that every trip to the grocery store now feels like a journey to the last frontier, the idea of being able to walk outside and pick as many tomatoes as you want is certainly attractive.
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Tofu is the curd (like a cheese) of soybeans and comes in different textures from soft or silken to firm and extra-firm. Tofu is a good source of plant-based protein. Soft and silken have the consistency of a Greek yogurt, while firm and extra-firm tofu are more similar to a harder cheese or chicken breast.
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Did you know that ingredients are listed from most to least? What that means is that when you see the list of ingredients on a food package, the ingredients appear in the order in which the product has the most to which ingredients are in the smallest amount in the package.
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When you’re busy it’s easy to grab something like a candy bar or soda to give you a quick hit of energy, but the reality is that those types of snacks are high in sugar which won’t keep you full, satisfied or fueled for long. Some better snack ideas:
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Question: Should I buy my fruits and vegetables based on the “Dirty Dozen” list?
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