St. David’s Day

This day commemorates the patron saint of Wales, St. David, who was born in the sixth century at Henfynw, Cardigan.

St. David’s Day also celebrates the Welsh victory over the Saxons in 640. Legend has it that the clever Welsh farmers pinned leeks to their coats so they could recognize one another in the melee; the Saxons killed many of their own kind, not having such a sign to tell friend form foe.

Today, St. David’s symbol is the leek. In honor of St. David, plant a bulb of aromatic leek as soon as the ground can be worked. See our page on planting leeks.

An old adage suggests eating leeks all month to keep the doctor away all year!