Cuke Season: Blackville, South Carolina’s Cucumber Celebration

Pickling cucumbers, which are small, firm cucumbers ideal for making pickles.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 20th each year On or around this day in Blackville, South Carolina, Cuke Season gets underway. Can you imagine the bustling excitement as the town prepares for this annual event? The Encyclopedia…

Read More

Plough Monday: The End of Christmas and the Start of the Agricultural Year

A scene from Plough Monday, a traditional English holiday that marks the beginning of the agricultural year.

Starting the Agricultural Year Well, it’s official, the holidays are over – today is Plough Monday. Plough Monday is regarded as the traditional start to the agricultural year and the official end to the holiday season. Plough Monday is always the first Monday after the 12th night of Christmas, and it represented  “men’s work”. For…

Read More