Celebrating springtime in the valley
By Emma Renninger
AFTER A LONG COLD WINTER in the Susquehanna Valley, the promise of spring makes hearts light. Imaginations run wild with the thought of fresh vegetables and beautiful fl owers. Following nature's law, or eating with the seasons, is a great way to foster a connection to the changes occurring right outside your window. By observing and aligning our diets with produce that is available locally, we allow nature to be our teacher and fi nd that our surroundings are one big classroom. Our bodies need the fresh plants and greens that emerge in the springtime to cleanse, restore, and to lighten our bodies for the warmer days to come.
The long winter of eating heavier foods to fortify our bodies against the cold necessitates a cleansing in the springtime. Spring greens such as dandelion, arugula, spinach, miner's lettuce, mesclun or spring mix, mustard, broccoli, and sprouts are naturally detoxifying. Eating plenty of these tasty vegetables, along with asparagus, rhubarb, beets, spring onions, snow peas, and staple grains, provide our bodies with seasonally appropriate fare. We live in a rich agricultural area, so fi nding these local foods in the spring is not hard. There are many farmers' markets in the area, as well as roadside stands and buying clubs. Selinsgrove is home to an excellent buying club which allows you to choose from products from several farms in the area, place your order, and pick up all of the products at once.
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