Lehman’s Country Life

This Saturday, March 28th, millions of people around the world will turn out their lights for one hour to draw awareness to global warming. Now, I’m not going to get political, environmental or any other “al” about the whole thing (to each his own, I always say), but it does seem like a rather simple, and dare I say, pleasant thing to do. Just turn things OFF – the lights, the tv, the radio, computer, etc., etc., etc. -  and have a little quiet time with those vaguely familiar humans who inhabit our houses  (our families).

As purveyors of hundreds of non-electric products and the publisher (for over a quarter century) of the Non-Electric Catalog, one hour without power sounds pretty easy, and even somewhat amusing to us. After all, many of our loyal customers live this way the majority of the time…

There are myriad activities one could enjoy with the lights (and other appliances) off, but here are a few suggestions that spring to mind.

Light an oil lamp and open a good book

Light a candle and pray, meditate or just think

Sit in the dark and tell stories, reminisce or have a family planning or brainstorming session

And, if none of those are appealing, why not go to bed early and get some (probably much-needed) extra shuteye?

Are any of you planning to participate this Saturday? If so, please comment and let us know what you did and how it went. We await your responses!

For more information, visit www.earthhour.org.

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By this point we shall assume that you, the intrepid future tomato gardener, have acquired the seeds of the variety (or varieties) that appeal most to you. If you’re a tomato fan it’s likely that you enjoy more than one example of the “love apple,” as it was known centuries ago. You might also be keen to try a new one along with your old favorite — but even if you’re just beginning with one cultivar, you’ll need to germinate your seeds to get started.

Vegetable seeds require heat, light, air and moisture to sprout. At first they don’t actually need any soil; the seed itself contains enough ‘food’ to get itself started with a set of immature leaves and rootlets. Even if seeds are set in a rich medium, all the soil will do is hold up the sprout as it unfolds, not feed it. Believe it or not, it’s actually a bad idea to germinate your seeds in a rich planting medium. The reasons are mold and mildew.
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Springtime cooking can be challenging. We as meal planners are so ready for a change from cold-weather rustic to springtime fresh.

More outdoor activities of cleaning up the yard and working in the garden can demand meals that are hearty and feed the body and soul.

Here are some springtime recipes for your families that aim to both satisfy tummies and incorporate fresh spring vegetables.
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Stinging Nettle

Spring finally has the sun splitting the sky here in Ireland. The winter aconite was very much later this year, as were the wild primroses and my planted daffodils. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day the weather turned discernibly softer during the days, although the nights can still leave a ground frost.

What really alerted me to how late spring was this year was the non-appearance of the stinging nettles. The upside of stinging nettles is that they are a harbinger of good soil fertility. The downside is that they are rampant and will choke the life out of any vegetables you plant.
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Mom was born a few years before the Great Depression. Grandma, a widow, raised nine kids on a farm by herself. She didn’t have food stamps or a welfare check or earned income credit. She did have fresh food, good water and a zest for life. Real milk, fresh eggs, nuts and berries from the forest, wild foods and home grown vegetables were their fare. There was not much else, but who needed it?

I remember fried chicken for Sunday dinner at Grandma’s. It was about the only time meat was on the table but Grandma never ate it. She said she didn’t like chicken and I could never understand why. It was much later I learned the reason she wouldn’t eat it.
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