You never eat the first snow?

I_ always_ do.

Just not the yellow snow.

I didn’t know about the first snow, but I always sample the precipitation each season (when I’m home in the suburb and not in the dirtier city, anyway).

Yes. I also breath in the first heater vent air. You will be safe if you carry a trusted talisman.

Is the first snowfall considered to be dirty, like to clean the air first? then the second and third are safe? suppose you only have one snowfall? does this mean you are out of luck for the rest of the winter season? i am confused. john

you know, i’ve never actually heard that. I remember a few years ago some study mentioned there’s a good deal of bacteria and pollution in snow, but there’s bacteria in/on most everything the vast majority of which are killed if consumed so unless your substituting meals for it I don’t see what the problem would really be. as far as i know there’s no difference between snow falls in terms of 1st, 2nd, etc. same with rain.

@john65pennington That’s the only thing I can think of. Somewhere back in the past when someone thought that up, they probably concluded that the first snow would “cleanse” the atmosphere of pollutants and whatnot, and the subsequent snowfalls would be cleaner.

Of course if you understand the atmosphere, unless the subsequent snow is like a day later, this is not true.

Well, we are about to have our first snowfall in Tennessee. the way i see it now is this: forget making ice cream from snow. instead, if i make it, i will head to Baskin/Robbins and just order a milkshake. it will cost more than the free snow, but at least i will not give a care about bacteria, first, second, or third whatevers.

Yeah, but nothing beats leaving out a few cake pans to get filled with snow, bringing them in and drizzling with Maple syrup. I guess it’s the DIY aspect of it all and nostalgic connections to childhood.

@Buttonstc Damn I miss sugaring-off, as we called it, snow + maple syrup = yummy!

Never heard that before. I’ve only been warned about the yellow snow. And the red snow…

We get a lot of snow here usually and I grew up never tasting the first snow – so more would come and never tasting the last snow so the onion skins would grow. How we know it’s the last snow, I don’t know but I always find myself saying it to someone “it’s the last snow we’ll see, I hope no one eats it.”

Maybe there was fairy tale about it?