Seasonal Advice for February: Recipes, Gardening, Folklore

Ah February, the month of love, flowers, and chocolate. Don't forget to show your sweetheart some attention this month.

On the wind in February
Snowflakes float still,
Half inclined to turn to rain,
Nipping, dripping, chill.
—Christina G. Rossetti

Calendar

February comes from the Latin word februa, which means "to cleanse." The month was named after the Roman Februalia, which was a month-long festival of purification and atonement.

Sunday, February 12 is Abraham Lincoln's Birthday. The 16th president of the United States was born in a one-room, 16x18-foot, log cabin with a dirt floor.

On the 14th is Valentine's Day. Although a Christian bishop named Valentine was martyred on February 14 in A.D. 271, there is nothing in this legend to account for the custom of choosing a sweetheart on this day.

This year, George Washington's Birthday (observed) falls on the 18th. Although our first president's birthday is on February 22, it is observed as a federal holiday on the third Monday of February. To complicate matters, Washington was actually born on February 11 in 1731! How can that be? Read more about Washington's Birthday.

Recipes for the Season

Ready for the Superbowl? Check our our list of crowd-pleasing game recipes.

For Valentine's Day, try making some Happy-Heart Cookies or a Godiva Hot Chocolate Cake.

For more recipes, use our Recipe Search.

Gardening

Shop early for seeds from catalogs and garden stores. The early shopper gets the best choice of seed varieties. See our list of Seed and Plant Mail-Order Sources and our tips on ordering seeds.

Start onions from seed now. They'll be ready for setting out in April. Onions from seed are generally firmer and longer lasting than from sets.

Start parsley indoors now. You may think you have successfully wintered over the plant, but it is a biennial and will soon go to seed.

Everyday Advice

In honor of Valentine's Day, check out these pages on tips and advice in the love department:
How to Find Your Perfect Mate
How to Get Lucky the Old-Fashioned Way
The Aphrodisiac That Really Works

Folklore for the Season

• Married in February's sleety weather, Life you'll tread in tune together.
• Violent north winds in February herald a fertile year.
• If February give much snow, A fine summer it doth foreshow.
• Fogs in February mean frosts in May.