Yes, I know it’s raining. Still, spring is the best. From where I’m sitting I can see the beautiful white blossoms on my neighbour’s trees and the buds of my backyard lilac bush. Everything is lush and green–even my groceries!

About a year ago, I used a gift certificate from a friend to order fresh produce from Mama Earth Organics. It was a pretty radical departure from my usual routine at the local discount grocery store. Feeding six people on a budget has never afforded me the opportunity to buy much from the organic aisle. Fiddleheads changed all that.

Fiddleheads are the young, curled leaves of ostrich ferns that presumably get their name because they look like the scroll end of a fiddle (you can see them in this picture from the MEO website). They can only be harvested in the spring in Ontario, and I remember having them as a child at my grandmother’s house. If you manage to find some–they are always in short supply and the season goes by in a flash–wash them gently and well, being careful to get all the bits of sand out from the leaves tucked up in a tiny spiral. They taste a little like spinach and I think they are best when simply sauteed in a little butter. Yum!

Last spring, my fiddleheads came in a box with a bunch of other produce, delivered right to my front door. All of it was organic and sourced from small and medium farms within two hours of Toronto (if you go to their website you can even see a map with pictures of the farmers!). As a gardener, I love the idea of supporting small growers. As parent, I love the idea of my family eating fewer chemicals. And as person, I love someone else doing the shopping.

There is one more important reason why I am still getting a box of fresh produce from Mama Earth every month: it is an opportunity to be mindful of each season. In the spring, it’s fiddleheads and wild leeks. In the summer it’s berries and tomatoes. Fall and winter bring colourful root vegetables and sprouts that grow indoors. With each delivery I am aware of the rhythm of the earth. It reminds me to respectfully live within its limits.

You may have noticed that it has been awhile since I’ve posted on this blog, but thankfully the seasons have shifted (as they always do). After four years I am now finished a Doctor of Ministry degree, which recently included intense work on a dissertation about introverts in the church. For the first time in a little while I am enjoying life without any homework or reading lists, and I couldn’t have timed it better. Spring is the perfect season to spend some extra time walking in the park, cooking up some fiddleheads, and stopping to smell the roses apple blossoms. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful spring season, too.