County bride gets happy spinach ending

PRESQUE ISLE – Every bride deserves the perfect wedding, right down to the spinach salad.

At least, that’s how farmer Mary-Ann McHugh felt when she heard the news that a local woman was going to do without after reports of an E. coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach.

McHugh said Sunday that she was watching the local television news on Friday night when she learned about the national outbreak, which has killed one person and sickened about 100 more in at least 19 states.

In the news story, local grocery store owner Bob Buckley was talking about pulling the bagged spinach off his store shelves. He mentioned that his daughter Elizabeth was getting married on Saturday, but that the spinach salad was getting scratched off the reception menu.

A minor problem, but still, by all accounts, the 24-year-old loved her baby spinach. Bob Buckley said Sunday that his daughter and her new husband, Brian Farley, are “into wholesome foods,” that they grow a lot of their own vegetables, and that what they don’t grow, they try to buy locally.

After seeing the news story, McHugh decided to do something to help: Her son was going to the wedding, so she felt a personal connection. She called up Buckley and offered the baby spinach from her Wit’s End Farm in Castle Hill.

Buckley not only accepted the offer, he also asked if she was interested in selling her locally grown products in his store.

McHugh said the inquiry was an unexpected surprise, but that for her, the whole situation underscored the importance of buying locally-grown food.

“Something bad could happen to our food supply, and if there aren’t small farmers doing what I’m doing, people are going to be in a hard way,” she said.

Luckily for the Buckley-Farley party, McHugh was able to provide. She brought two grocery bags filled with baby spinach – enough for about 36 wedding guests – to Buckley’s store.

Buckley said it was a big surprise for Elizabeth.

“When she found out that Mrs. McHugh was bringing in the baby spinach, she broke down crying,” he said. “She was so happy.”

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. Elizabeth and Brian were married along Echo Lake, and they rode a horse and carriage to their reception.

And the salad?

Buckley said it was such a nice gesture.

“It was just the finishing touch to a perfect day,” he said.