Tag Archives: spring

Bring it on Spring ~ we are ready for you!

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YAY, SPRING! This lovely season brings us rebirth along with increasing daylight, warming temperatures, and ~ well, we can always hope. Regardless, I promise it will get warmer, greener and lusher, eventually (unless you are south of the equator, then it’s just the opposite and its autumn for you).

Technically speaking, spring begins today with the vernal equinox at 12:15 P.M. EDT. The word equinox is Latin for “equal night” (vernal means spring). In other words, today we will have approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of nighttime everywhere on the Earth. Moreover, the Sun rises and sets due east and west. This happens because today, the tilt of the Earth relative to the Sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun (don’t forget, the tilt of Earth is relative to its plane of orbit, called the ecliptic plane, which is always about 23.5 degrees). This is very cool.

This morning, I went out looking for some signs of spring. I had to look hard, but found a couple. The stream by our house is starting to flow again.

We don’t have any spring flowers breaking through the ground yet but the buds on the trees are starting to develop. I always know spring is here when the landscape has evolved from grayish/brown to a reddish glow with the promise of leaves.

Although on other days, I have seen Redwing Black Birds around our feeders, which are another sign of spring for me. No Robins were out today either. But alas, there weren’t many birds out at all this morning.

In addition to today being the first day of spring, it is also the United Nations International Day of Happiness!  In 2011, all 193 United Nations members recognized that progress should be about increasing human happiness and well-being, not just growing the economy. That was a very profound declaration in a time of such immense greed. It is definitely a good step in the right direction. So today is a day to celebrate, rejoice and simply be happy.

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! ~Sitting Bull

Change

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Stinging Nettles emerging from their winter's sleep

Stinging Nettles emerging from their winter’s sleep

I love change. You can actually say I crave change, which is very helpful since things are always changing. Hey, we live on a planet that is turning while revolving around the sun. When things appear stagnant or nothing new is happening, I start to get antsy, even a little blue. Basically, I yearn for adventure and new experiences. Luckily, Mother Nature provides me with some much needed change after a dormant winter.

One of my favorite things to do is walk the land in early spring, checking out what lovely plants have decided it’s time to emerge from their warm, safe protective earth. On my first spring walk this year, I was so excited to see Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) breaking through the surface. All the potential and possibilities that nettles represent simply flooded my mind. Nettles are the ideal spring tonic to awaken the body from its winter sleep. They nourish and support the entire body, particularly the endocrine, immune, urinary, respiratory, and circulatory systems. Eating and drinking nettles help increase your metabolism, while building the body and blood as it nourishes the kidneys and the adrenal glands.  Since Nettles are a tonic for the kidney, adrenal, and thyroid glands, they help increase and stabilize energy levels. Used regularly for several months, they can also limit or actually prevent hay fever and other allergies.

You can call nettles a superfood since they are so nutrient rich. They are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and amino acids. They’re very high in calcium, magnesium, trace minerals and chlorophyll. Nettles are also high in chromium, cobalt, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and sulfur, as well as the B complexes, especially thiamine and riboflavin with rich supplies of niacin, protein, selenium, and vitamins C, D and K. Because of their dense concentration of minerals and amino acids, nettles help to build healthy bones, hair, skin, and teeth, as well as being an excellent tonic for pregnant, lactating, and menopausal women.

Not only are the greens incredibly good for you, they are delicious too. Right now, they are just peeking out of the ground but in a couple of weeks (perhaps earlier); I will harvest the tender tops and continue throughout the summer until they begin to set flowers. Once they start to flower, Nettles develop cystoliths in the leaves, which can irritate to the kidneys. I enjoy nettles in teas, soups and in my morning omelets. Some people even make nettle pesto; I can’t wait to try that this year. During the summer, I start to dry them so I can use them in teas during the winter and help my body abate spring allergy season.

It’s amazing how a simple walk outside can bring me such joy and promise of what lies ahead. As the daylight increases with guarantees of warmer days in the future, I will visit the land more frequently in joyful anticipation to see what change has happened since my last visit.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.