“April is the cruellest month” — I think of this line from "The Waste Land” every time April comes along. And here we are again, after a whole miserable pandemic year, still grieving March’s mass killings in Atlanta and Colorado. We’ve been through more than enough cruelty already. We need to heal.
Maybe, just maybe, this April won’t be so mean. There’s cautious excitement as we claw our way back towards normal. The House passed the For the People Act, the biggest election reform in half a century, ending voter suppression.
More people are eligible for — and receiving — the Covid vaccine — including my husband and me. There’s a whole vaccination migration, with fully vaccinated folks traveling to reunite with the family and friends they’ve missed.
And it’s spring, the season of renewal and resilience. What’s fresh and growing where you live? Delicate asparagus? Aromatics like onion and garlic? It’s strawberry season in South Florida (yeah, we’re more than spring break craziness). They’ve been tender, juicy, sweet, and rosy-red. Makes sense. Strawberries belong to the rose family. Eating in season gives us a more profound sense of connection with the planet and its rhythms. It’s a delicious, natural sign of life when we need it most.
Today is Whole Grains Sampling Day
sponsored by the Whole Grains Council. I had great fun and got great info from the Whole Grains Facebook Live event I did with Fran Costigan and Jill Nussinow earlier this week. Catch the replay here.
Coming in April
Coming in April, I’ve got articles in Smart Mouth, Alcohol Professor and Edible South Florida.
And my husband and I are due to get our second dose of the Covid vaccine. Yay. May everything April come up roses - or ripe strawberries — or both.
April 1 April Fools’ Day
April 2 Sizdah Bedar — Nature Day in Iran
April 2 Good Friday
April 3 —1pm ET Join the Plant Based Kids Network for a free virtual Easter egg hunt, presented by the Plant-Based Network and the Vegucated Family Table; Register now.
April 4 - Last Day of Passover
April 4 Easter — Chocolate Easter bunnies beat real ones
April 13 Ramadan begins
April 22 Earth Day —A plant-based diet is one of the best presents you can give yourself and the planet. Going vegan reduces carbon and deforestation, saves water, animals, and us. That’s why I think of it as a planet-based diet.