While deep snow continues to prohibit me doing any “snow shovel foraging,” today’s rain has melted the snow and ice from a small portion of garden in front of my house. And there, pushing up from the still-frozen ground, are fresh, green shoots of chives.
Since the snow over my chives literally withdrew overnight, it is obvious that the plants had already put on new growth while still snow covered. And that is a great wonder of nature.
Later today, I plan on making a simple salad of lettuce, sprinkled with chopped-up chives. That makes chives the first green vegetable of the season, a real big deal for me.
On a similar note, the soil in some raised beds in my unheated greenhouse has thawed to the point that yesterday, I planted several rows of lettuce. The little greenhouse faces south and even on bitter-cold days, the temperature inside reaches a comfortable level as long as the sun shines.
So it has begun. The first garden vegetable, chives, has become available and the season’s first crop of salad greens is now in the ground and hopefully, well on the way toward germinating.
And soon, wild edible plants will come around and the foraging season will commence. It all thrills me to no end.
My husband and I just purchased your book, Foraging New England, and then found your blog. I'm so glad your passion for foraging led you to write guide books about it, so others can learn. We love your writing style and your enthusiasm is contagious.
ReplyDeleteI spent virtually my entire childhood in the Maine woods and just glancing through the photos revealed many very familiar friends. To think, all those years I wasted not eating the serviceberries!