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Happy March Go Local readers!
Can spring come soon enough?
With no thanks to Punxsutawney Phil, we are still in the midst of what has been a harsh winter between extreme cold and heavy snowfalls. As I continue to get older, I have found myself beaten down progressively by the cold to the point now where I simply dread my morning walks between apartment to car, car to work.
Growing up I, like many dumb teenage boys, thought the harsh cold winter weather was not this big bad everyone made it out to be. I vividly remember a unique winter in seventh grade where several 13- and 14-year-old boys (myself included) challenged one another to see who could come to school wearing shorts the longest into winter. Even as I type that I can’t help but laugh at the sheer stupidity and obnoxious confidence we all had through such a dumb pact.
A couple of months in, during the dead of winter, I was one of the last three boys in the competition. Coming off one weekend and being the seventh grader I was, I foolishly banked on an incoming snow day. Waking up that Monday to learn school was on and the weather predictions had been overblown, I pulled a classic teenager move: I told my grandma I was sick and couldn’t go to school.
Little did I know my omission from school that day would create great controversy in terms of the short-wearing competition. I was called a fraud for avoiding confrontation with one of the coldest days of the year. While I had some support, ultimately, I was considered knocked out of the competition by my peers due to my actions.
To add to my foolishness, I made it a point to continue wearing shorts all through the rest of winter. I did not want to accept the slander of my character and made it a point to see it through. What a clown I was.
Waiting for this winter to end for the last month plus made me think of that story from my youth, but it also points in the direction of a special addition in the March issue of Go Local.
Special to the March edition is a listing of CSA or Community Supported Agriculture resources in our area. CSA involves a partnership between farm and consumers, with members paying in advance for a “share” of the farm’s harvest for a set portion of the year. Members pick up fresh produce, herbs or even flowers on designated days at the farm.
With spring approaching, what better way to prep for the upcoming seasons and potential agriculture that comes with them than to share the CSA listing. Being a CSA member allows for people who may not have access to fresh produce an opportunity to enjoy local farmers’ fresh produce for many weeks throughout the summer and offers a potentially more economic option than buying at your neighborhood grocery store.
And of course, this month’s Go Local also features three unique businesses that are each beloved in their communities: A.W. Brown’s Pet and Garden in East Longmeadow, Yonder Community Toy Shop in Easthampton, and Comfort Bagel in Westfield and Holyoke.
We hope this edition serves as a good reminder of the sunny and warmer days to come for all our communities.
Best,
Trent Levakis, Editor