Spring Is Here

Spring is finally here – a season that our family has been waiting with such anticipation. Not just because we love the change in temperature, or because we are delighted to see all the flowers blooming or the trees changing leaves, but because this season will bring us full circle with our 100 Mile Harvest journey.

We started this adventure in May of last year and in less than 6 weeks we will be faced with a new beginning, one that we will embark on with the same passion, discipline and devotion as we did with 100 Mile Harvest. This new phase of our lives will carry some of the same principles and philosophies from this past year, but we’ll adapt them to accommodate the different needs of our family. It will be a transition from the strict locavore diet to a more expansive way of eating, one that will allow us to supplement some of the basic needs and wants that were not met by 100 mile Harvest (such as cooking oil, spices, teas and the much-longed-for chocolate). This journey has provided us with the opportunity to make a difference in our personal lives and allowed us to live both more consciously and responsibly. We feel like we have improved our lives while also learning to live a more eco-friendly existence. I can not wait to start this new challenge.

In the meantime, I will enjoy what is still left from the winter harvest. The sweet potatoes have long departed from our menus and we deeply miss having those scrumptious chips in our meals. Even though I loved and enjoyed everything I have been eating, they were always a treat. We still have a couple of weeks left before the Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower disappear from the stands.

A year ago I would wander through the vegetable aisles of the supermarket, seeing the cauliflower, but never caring to pick one up. Under the glow of fluorescent store lights they looked unappealing and uneventful. It wasn’t until I discovered all the different cauliflower varieties and colors (from bright orange, purple, green to the traditional white), that I started to have a better appreciation for this vegetable. And now that I’ve come to love it, I will have to wait until the winter to enjoy it again.

But along with the fresh breeze, spring will bring a new array of fruits and vegetables. We are lucky to have been among the first to enjoy the first local harvesting of asparagus, and we can’t wait to see what else awaits us in the months to come.



Today, Michelle Obama and twenty-three Washington, D.C. 5th graders broke ground on the “White House Kitchen Garden.” The garden will cover 1,100 sq. ft. on the White House’s South Lawn, a few steps from the Obama girls’ swing set. 55 varieties of fruits and vegetables will be grown organically, to be used in the kitchen’s preparation of food for the first family and guests.

This weekend we, too, will break ground on our own garden, with the full expectation that it will bring an abundance of delicious flavors into our meals. We’ve been preparing for this moment since starting 100 Mile Harvest, and the last few weeks we’ve actually been buying seeds and transplants, and sketching out a plan. It’s time to get our hands dirty!

I encourage everyone to get outside and make the most of these beautiful days. And don’t forget to give thanks that Spring is here.