Chef Wilkinson


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Monday, April 4, 2011

~ The Winters ~

We true Southerners know once the "Winters" are complete ... WATCH OUT as Summer will soon arrive. Dogwood Winter brings a few days or even a week of cold weather, sometimes with frost or snow and potential damage to garden plants. The 'Oldtimers' knew it meant the possibility of frost so they waited until after the dogwoods bloomed to plant tender vegetables and annuals. Native Americans watched for the dogwood blooms as the sign to begin planting corn and other crops. Blackberry Winter, the 'Oldtimers' also knew that blackberries needed a cold snap to set buds on the blackberry canes.


In some areas, a late cold snap occurs with the blooming of the locust trees and it is possible that you will have Locust Winter and Redbud Winter happening at the same time.

Now I personally have never heard of these but it appears that there is also a Linsey-Woolsey Britches Winter and Whippoorwill Winter. Linsey-Woolsey Britches Winter was once a popular term, back when winter clothing was homespun of linen/wool and winters were harsher. It was the last time in spring that you’d need "long johns" before trading them for short sleeves and it usually came about the time of Blackberry Winter. And Whippoorwill Winter is when the Whippoorwill migrates from wintering in Mexico to their summer range farther north in late May to early June. ~ Chef ~