You didn’t know?
Neither did I. In fact, I missed it - it was two weeks ago.
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| Leafy greens |
This year the state celebrated its third annual Leafy Greens
Week. From a press release:
“In recognition of the bountiful harvest generated by Arizona’s
abundant lettuce industry, Governor Jan Brewer has proclaimed Nov. 11-17,
Arizona Leafy Greens Week.”
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| Leafy greens migrant worker (upper right) |
All this excitement is due to the fact that Arizona provides
90 percent of the country’s greens during the months of November through March.
The category “leafy greens” includes many different types of lettuce, cabbage,
chard, kale, and spinach. During the summer months, California takes over as
the primary producer for the country.
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| More leafy greens |
Our garden is a miniature reflection of this reality: we
supply 90% of our own greens (and reds and oranges, sometimes purples) during the winter, and
become completely dependent on imports in the summer.
Happy Leafy Greens Week!
ReplyDeleteInteresting insight into your climate again. The farmers must rely on irrigation. (?)
Of course over here we import a lot of our salad/fruit/veg especially in winter.
We seem intent on putting the country under concrete.
These pictures are from your garden? They're beautiful! I have a small vegetable garden in our side yard and I love going out to cut lettuce fresh from the soil. So sweet. And who knew that about Arizona? WE owe them thanks for our salads in the winter months - and I thought just lemons, limes and grapefruit came from there.
ReplyDelete