The cold-weather grace period usually ends for my late January. With the end of the winter holidays and the persistence of days with temperatures below freezing and snowy, I start longing for spring bulbs to pop above soil level and trees to start leafing out.

For most people I know, learning how to make banana bread is the entry point to baking. Bananas spoiled quickly in the humid climate where I grew up. In an effort to avoid wasting the fruit, my mother showed me early on how to get those bananas into a dessert and away from the landfill.

Greens and I did not hit it off when we met back in the 1980s. Back then, I preferred sour cream and onion potato chips and ham and cheese Hot Pockets to the homegrown collards, mustards, and turnips my family grew so easily in our southern soil. Only after I went vegetarian in 1997 did I open my eyes to the glory of lettuces and dark, leafy greens. While I'm no longer a strict vegetarian, I still eat a larger than necessary amount of greens every week. With several years of