New moon: In Pisces, March 15
Full moon: In Virgo, March 29
Visible planets: Cancer, the Crab, is visible in the northern hemisphere; Canis Minor, the little dog, is visible in the northern hemisphere through April.
Astrological sign: Pisces, Feb. 19 to March 20; Aries, March 21 to April 19
Gem stone: Aquamarine
Flower: Jonquil
Harvard history snippet:
“In 1862, 1863, and 1864 quotas were levied upon Harvard, as upon all other cities and towns in the North, under which Harvard was to supply a certain number of soldiers to the Union army. As in the Revolutionary War, committees were chosen to procure men to fill these quotas, and further bounties were voted to entice volunteers to fill the town’s quota. ... at a special town meeting in 1864, the town voted a $125 bounty per man to meet the last quota of the war; an informal meeting was then called immediately after the dissolution of the formal town meeting. This informal group organized itself into a society to provide more money for the soldiers, and to erect a memorial to the fifteen Harvard men who had died in active duty.”
—from Directions of a Town, by Robert C. Anderson (1976)
Household tips:
- Wrap cheese in a cloth dampened with vinegar to keep it from drying out.
- Clean copperware by coating lightly with ketchup. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, then wipe with damp cloth or sponge.
- Before steaming spinach, lightly coat steamer basket with oil to prevent spinach from clinging to sides. (Makes cleanup a lot easier!)
Going green:
- Use reusable mugs and containers at home and on the go, to reduce the trash created by single-use cups.
- At the office, order copy and printer paper with at least 50 percent recycled content.
What to do in the garden:
- Sow seeds outdoors for radishes, beets, peas, spinach, and lettuce.
- Start seeds indoors for tomatoes, onions, basil, parsley, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, and other long-season vegetables.
- Plant new strawberry plants and feed established ones.
Thought for the month:
“March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes, and a laugh in her voice.”
—Hal Borland, American writer (1900–1978)
Do you have an almanac tidbit you’d like to share? E-mail to editor@harvardpress.com.