~Rain, rain, don’t go away, just lighten up a bit~

Glad to have planted Sugar Ann snap peas, lettuce mix, golden beets, Easter Egg radishes and arugula in a break in the rain Tuesday.

While all the beds aren’t installed, and paths still need to be laid in my redesigned French-style Potager learning garden, Emma and I took advantage of the small window of sun Tuesday to get some seeds into the ground. 

Now let’s hope the excessive rain doesn’t rot them. And the other plants are waiting so patiently to be put into the ground… sigh.  

~I’m Wild for Wild Leeks~ They are up now! Am planning to forage for this beautiful wild onion/leek/ramp in the coming weeks to make pickles for cocktail garnishes… They are also delish roasted with olive oil and lemon, or sliced raw in a spring salad. Dandelion, violet leaf and trout lily leaf salad, anyone?   I originally learned about the deliciousness of the wild leek about ten years ago while picking them with farmer friends up in Leelanau County for Tim Young’s now well-known canning business, Food for Thought. They are quite popular now, but nonetheless still a favorite of mine.  Hoping to find a larger patch from which to harvest; but even then, I am cautious not to overharvest because I am taking the entire bulb from the ground, and these patches aren’t the most plentiful in our urban/suburban areas. I want to leave more than enough so the plant population can regenerate and be sustained… Clipping only the tops for salads is the least impactful way to enjoy these spring delights…  For more on ethical harvesting of plants, click here to read overview by New York Herbalist 7Song. While it is geared to the herbalist, they are good values to embrace for anyone working with plants, harvesting, foraging, etc. 

~I’m Wild for Wild Leeks~

They are up now! Am planning to forage for this beautiful wild onion/leek/ramp in the coming weeks to make pickles for cocktail garnishes… They are also delish roasted with olive oil and lemon, or sliced raw in a spring salad. Dandelion, violet leaf and trout lily leaf salad, anyone?  

I originally learned about the deliciousness of the wild leek about ten years ago while picking them with farmer friends up in Leelanau County for Tim Young’s now well-known canning business, Food for Thought. They are quite popular now, but nonetheless still a favorite of mine. 

Hoping to find a larger patch from which to harvest; but even then, I am cautious not to overharvest because I am taking the entire bulb from the ground, and these patches aren’t the most plentiful in our urban/suburban areas. I want to leave more than enough so the plant population can regenerate and be sustained… Clipping only the tops for salads is the least impactful way to enjoy these spring delights… 

For more on ethical harvesting of plants, click here to read overview by New York Herbalist 7Song. While it is geared to the herbalist, they are good values to embrace for anyone working with plants, harvesting, foraging, etc.