March 2nd – only 18 more days until Spring!
I was going to start planting seeds inside last week and got really sidetracked. I’m going to give it another try today. Buying plants and setting them out and watching them grow is certainly gratifying but nothing compares to watching something beautiful grow from planting a seed. I admit, I tend to get impatient for those first shoots of green to sprout but once they do it is nothing less than miraculous.
The moon is waxing so that also is a good time to get this done. My Grandmother and Grandaddy always had a large kitchen garden. I remember so many times Grandmother looking at the sky and telling what the weather was going to do or whether or not it was a good time for planting. More often, than not, she was right. They call that “Old Wives’ Tales” or “Old Wives’ Lore.” I love finding books about weather lore or gardening lore. So much of what is contained has been found to have a scientific basis. So glad that scientists have found that they knew what they were talking about all along.
This is from one of my books Old Wives’ Lore for Gardeners by Maureen and Bridget Boland:
PLANTING
Consider the Moon
Every Old Wife will tell you to sow seed and to transplant only with a waxing, never a waning moon. The scientists have now caught up with this, discovering the effects of lunar rhythms on the earth’s magnetic field which in turn effect growth. They have established that all water everywhere, including that inside the tiniest living organism, moves in tides like the sea. The moon also effects the earth’s atmosphere so that statistically it is more likely to rain heavily (just as you would like immediately after planting) immediately after a full or a new moon. They say that a potato grown at constant levels of heat and light under laboratory conditionsl will still show a growth rythm that reflects the lunar pattern. The Old Wife, without laboratory conditions or statistical tables, learned from experience how bst to get her plants off to a good start.
Sow seed generously:
One for the rook, one for the crow,
One to die and one to grow.
P. S. Happy Birthday to my beautiful niece Taylor.
Today’s Lagniappe: Hot Chicken Salad
I need to meet with several people next week. Rather than going out for lunch as we usually would do, I’m having them over and making a batch of this hot chicken salad that I will divide up and freeze so I can pull it out and have it ready for “meeting days.” I’ll sprinkle on the cheese and chips just before baking.
1 c. mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated onion
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. cooked, diced chicken
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. grated sharp cheese
1 c. crushed potato chips
Blend mayonnaise with next 3 ingredients. Mix lightly with chicken, celery and nuts. Spoon into casserole. Sprinkle cheese, then chips on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until piping hot.
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