Today is February 3rd.  And February 3rd marks the half way point between the beginning of winter and the beginning of spring.  As someone who aches to get out and dig in the dirt, I think that’s great news! We’re on the downward slope of the hill.

We are having our first meeting tomorrow to firm up our choices of what vegetables to grow for you this year.  We went to the Giant Eagle Marketplace again today, and all that luscious produce for sale there made me eager to get started growing my own. 

If you are just starting out growing veggies, we’re here to help.  We have all grown vegetables for many years and we are eager to share what we’ve learned with you!  Think of us as your personal gardening resource.

Growing our own vegetables and herbs seems to bring a sense of control over our lives—Heaven knows there’s a lot we have no control over—at least we can control what and how we eat.  Sure, there is an investment in time to get the growing area ready.  Either we need to get an area (in full sun, if possible) dug up and ready to plant in, or we need to get some big patio pots or planters full of soil that are sited and ready for growing.  And there is a learning curve if we’ve never done this before. How exactly do we grow onions and tomatoes and lettuce and peppers…

I just read a Health.com report which rated the major grocery chains to find the “healthiest” ones.   The winners were Whole Foods (National, with the closest to us being in Pittsburgh), Safeway (National), Harris Teeter (Southeast US), Trader Joe’s (National, with the closest to us being near Dayton), Hannaford (Northeast US), Albertson’s (Western US), Food Lion (Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states), Publix (Southeast), Pathmark (Mid-Atlantic), and Super-Target (National).  Wegman’s would have made the list, but the researchers thought the chain was too small to make the cut.

What do you notice about all these stores?  None of them is available in our area!  Is it any wonder we have the problems with obesity and other food related illnesses here?  We have no really good choices for shopping healthy; we have to ferret out the good stuff in Kroger or IGA or Riesbeck’s.  (I think Riesbeck’s would have the best chance of making the list of any of our local grocery chains.)

The answer? Some suggestions I’ve made before.  Shop your area farmers market.  Buy from roadside stands.  Grow your own.  Cook at home. 

We can help with one of those.  We’ll have more choices for the grow-your-own contingent.  Watch the blog throughout the winter for news about those new varieties and choices.  We will be closed, but we’ll still be busy behind the scenes getting ready for a Spring with new challenges… and new opportunities.