Greetings Rural Sprout Readers,
I’m always amazed at the arrival of spring. We all begin to look for it each year when winter has overstayed its welcome. It’s like that guest that just won’t leave; you smile politely while they talk but check your watch often and glance out the window occasionally, hoping they’ll take the hint.
And so, we look for spring in the same way.
Is the wind a touch warmer today? Does it lack that winter-ish bite? No, it looks like there’s snow in the forecast again next week.
Do the trees look less drab? Is that a blush of red across the hillside from buds waiting for warmer weather? Maybe.
As a forager, some of my favorite things to look for in the wild are often the first harbingers of spring – daylily shoots, garlic mustard, purple dead nettle, milkweed shoots, violets and of course, dandelion greens.
All of these bright spots of green among the brown of leftover winter are the first growing things that pop up and say, “Hello! It’s here; we brought spring with us.”
And every year, it takes me by surprise.
It’s as if the plants are on some secret synchronized schedule. And at just the right moment, they burst up through the ground.
It’s the frogs at my sweetie’s house.
My boyfriend has a pond in his backyard, and every year on one unspecified and unremarkable morning, the pond wakes up. You walk out of the house, and you’re greeted by a cacophony of croaking voices announcing they’re awake again; spring has arrived. The silent woods of winter are gone for the year.
Once again, spring took me by surprise this year.
I told our Head Homesteader, James, earlier in the week that I hadn’t seen many of my usual favorite spring forages yet. Then I went for my evening run and passed bright green dandelion greens, dusky purple dead nettle, the familiar rosettes of new garlic mustard, and the familiar pale green of daylily shoots.
Spring had arrived.
And I came home from my run with a fistful of daylily shoots to eat with my dinner. (They were delicious.)
Like every spring when I begin foraging, I often make plans to pick a little extra of this or that so I can save it to enjoy later in the season. But I rarely end up doing so.
This is an important part of foraging and self-sufficiency – living seasonally and only taking what you need.
Part of the joy of spring and feasting on these fresh, new treats is that we don’t get to enjoy them in the middle of the winter. They’re delights to be enjoyed during their particular season. It’s what keeps us looking forward to them year after year.
Well, you know, except, of course, garlic mustard. You should eat as much of that as you can and forage it heavily. It’s an invasive species. I made an excellent horseradish cheese sauce with some garlic mustard roots. (You can read about garlic mustard
by clicking here.)
As I enjoy my favorite spring delicacies, I’m grateful for a new season and the skills I’ve learned that allow me to identify edible plants in the wild.
What are you grateful for, dear reader, as we move into this season with the return of the light and new growth?
As always, I’ve rounded up some great new posts that will come in handy for you. All of the Rural Sprout Team is gearing up for the gardening season.
