SUSAN SAYS Getting ideas for springtime

— There is a lingering chill in the air but the March sun shines brightly and brings hope of warmer days. A few puddles linger near the garden spot to remind us of Friday’s rain. A cold wind blew on Saturday and frost covered the ground Sunday morning; but the golden daffodils still look perky and crocuses, both purple and white, have emerged in the yard just up the street. Hyacinth foliage is coming up beside the cellar and the yard is dotted with bluets.

Gurney’s spring seed catalog arrived recently and Jim has been studyingit. He wants to order some assorted radish seed and another variety, an heirloom black Spanish radish. Sister Nancy and her husband went to Springdale to visit his children Saturday and brought us a bundle of strawberry plants and three varieties of seed potatoes. Marlin is taking a few days off soon and has offered to plow the garden spot.

When our neighbor moved last summer, I salvaged the headboard of a bed from the pile of scrap metal he brought us. It’s painted white and has a leaf design. Jim pushed itinto the ground out by the stump of the old pecan tree where it will make a lovely trellis. When the warm weather comes to stay, I plan to plant sunflowers behind it and shorter flowers or some type of vine in front. But Jo Northrop, author of the “Simple Country Pleasures” column, reminds us that March is a better time for pondering than for planting. “March weather cannot be trusted,” she says.

On one of the warm days last week, Jim was out putting metal on the sides of his garden shop. I satisfied my urge to get out in the sun by going out to spruce up the patio enclosure. I took a broom, swept out most of the dirt that had blown in on windy days and dusted off the windowsills. I put on the padded cover I’d ordered for the littlewooden stool, a treasure I salvaged during the fall cleanup days. The cover, a cheery green and white country check, blends well with the green leaves on the chair cushions. Another piece of fabric, purchased for 50 cents at a recent sidewalk sale, looks like a section of an Indian blanket draped over our small refrigerator. We’re looking forward to warmer weather when we can spend more time on the patio.

I received an interesting magazine last week, the first issue of “Arkansauce: The Journal of Arkansas Foodways,” a new publication by the Special Collections Department of the University of Arkansas Libraries. If the first issue is any indication, it’s going to be a delightful resource for anyone who likes to cook and eat Arkansas foods.

Three articles profile eating places - Arkansas burger joints, a trio of Delta eateries and a popular pie shop. Other articles focus on the making of fried green tomatoes and how to cook a steak. We are told about foods of the Great Depression, the history of beans in our state, Arkansas barbecue and judging a blackberry cobbler competition.

Anyone interested in receiving “Arkansauce” may contact Diane F. Worrell, managing editor, at the Special Collections Department, University of Arkansas Libraries, 365 N. McElroy Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701. E-mail [email protected] or telephone 479-575-5577. Subscriptions are free, but financial assistance is appreciated and gifts are tax-deductible.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up next week and Suzanne Huntley, author of “The Year-Round Holiday Cookbook,” says Irish stew is a natural for the March 17 menu. Oatmeal bread would be an appropriate accompaniment. Corned beef and cabbage is another “natural” for the occasion. Serve with hot horseradish sauce and boiled potatoes. “Cook more beef than you immediately need, for it is so very good cold or in hash,” Huntley suggests. Green pea soup or applesauce with a little green creme de menthe included would also add beautiful green color and flavor to the menu.

Susan Holland, who works for the Westside Eagle Observer, is a lifelong Benton County resident.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 03/09/2011