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| American greens are not selling |
Today is Pi Day, and while I don't want to discuss mathematical problems, I will eat pie to celebrate. I did my weekly grocery shopping this morning, a time-consuming task if you read every label to see where the product came from. A lady walked by me with her young daughter, explaining that they would not buy celery because it came from America. I heard other shoppers sharing the same sentiments. I saw American strawberries reduced from $4 to $1/pound, and they were being ignored. The American salad greens were on sale and marked down another 30%, but no one was picking them up. Canadians are angry about US tariffs and threats to our sovereignty.
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| Lord Woolton Pie, Canadiana version |
I decided to buy seasonal Canadian produce, which is what we should be doing anyway for the environment. At this time of year, Canadian potatoes, carrots, turnips, onions, beets, cabbage and apples are available fresh, while other local fruits and vegetables are found in the frozen food and canned food aisles. We can also buy greenhouse and hydroponic lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and mushrooms.
Germany blockaded England during WW2, stopping food imports. The government provided ration books and plenty of pamphlets with meal ideas. Lord Woolton was the Minister of Food, and Lord Woolton Pie became a dinner staple. I watched a hilarious British TV show called The Supersizers Go...Wartime, which is currently available on YouTube. Restaurant critic Giles Coren and comedian Sue Perkins follow a 1940s wartime menu for a week and offer an entertaining history lesson. Lord Woolton Pie was featured, so I made it for Pi Day dinner tonight. It is a vegetable pie with a whole wheat or potato crust. I boiled the vegetables, thickened the cooking water with a little milk and flour, put it in a deep dish pie plate, and topped it with whole wheat pastry. After 30 minutes of baking time, it was done. It was delicious! (My recipe guide is here)
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Lunar Eclipse 0227h EDT March 14, 2025
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I got up for half an hour at 2:20 AM today as the earth moved between the sun and the moon. The blood moon of a full lunar eclipse is dramatic but is not an apocalyptic sign, as some people believe. Eclipses happen a few times a year, and the last one I watched at home was on November 8, 2022. This photo was taken just before totality, and there was just enough light for me to zoom in with a handheld camera. We were fortunate to have clear skies.
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| Budding Snowdrops |
I conclude with another local sign of spring. I found several clumps of Snowdrops full of buds that will open in the next day or two. These brave bulbs push through snow and ice very early in the season. March is a transitional month in a good way as winter gives way to spring. Spring is always a back-and-forth fight between cold and warm fronts, with lengthening daylight hours its only consistency.
Happy Pi Day, and as the British said during the last world war, Keep Calm and Carry On.
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