February inspiration

Finally we have come to the end of February, to what I would consider the brownest time of year here in Central Virginia.  The soil in the growing beds looks worn out -- old mulch, old stray leaves, last year's growth I never completely cleared away, and a crust of decaying leaf litter that is working its magic at a microscopic level, but SO unattractive!  Above ground level, we do have the evergreens to be thankful for, but mostly the view is brownish green grass and endless silvery brown sticks and limbs and trunks and branches which for me have lost their charm.  I know new life is just about to burst out of this brown dreariness, but I'm getting impatient!

When I run out of inspiration at times like this I like to head to the greengrocer (that is to say, Whole Foods).  Nothing cheers my color-starved eyes more than the sight of all those vegetables, bursting with color, arranged artfully in heaps bin after bin.  We try to eat locally grown food in season, but who can resist the oranges and yellows of the citrus fruit, the deep reds of the Swiss chard and hothouse tomatoes, the purples of the eggplant and Bermuda onion, and vibrant greens of the cabbage and kale and all kinds of lettuce trucked in from who knows where??  I want to help the local agricultural economy as much as the next guy, but in February, all bets are off! I bought some adorable little Bosc pears which I will draw tomorrow.  In the meantime, check out this amazing cabbage --

By the way, they do know their stuff at Whole Foods, as far as merchandising goes.  Someone in the head office has studied color theory for sure.  You will often see vegetables arranged in stripes of complementary colors.  For example green cabbages next to the red and orange beets.  Red beets next to the green zucchini.  And next to the zucchini, the red peppers, then green, then orange and yellow peppers next to . . . eggplants!  See what I mean?  They do this because it makes the vegetable look even more vibrant and alive set next to something of a complementary color shade.  Sneaky, hmmm?  I don't care -- I think it is a beautiful feast for the eyes and as long as I stick to my shopping list, I'm OK!