Foraging and Farming
Keeping up with Early Spring
April emerged as a warm thunderstorm, threatening us with high winds and tornadoes. Luckily, the damaging winds and storms were just empty promises of local news stations. Instead, we got heavy rains, followed by plenty of sun and warmth. Dogwood flowers bloomed early in the month and oak tree catkins emerged as a reminder of the relief shade trees provide in the throes of summer. Spring ephemerals were at their peak even into mid-April. Each day I’d go sit in the garden, watching the buzzing bees and other insects sip nectar from each flower. It’s a special time; after the frost but before the oppressive heat and humidity of summer.
Early Spring Forages
On April 8, we were near the path of totality during the lunar eclipse. As we were walking to our watch spot with friends, I saw the strangest looking thing on the ground: something tannish in color with an unusual pattern. “Damien! It’s a morel!” I shouted. “There’s another one! And another!” we exclaimed as we carefully tiptoed through the clearing under oaks and cedars. Aware that false morels exist, and unwilling to haphazardly harvest wild mushrooms, we made a note of where they were and went on to our eclipse watch spot. After those surreal four minutes, we walked back to the morels and took photos to compare to an image search of the real thing. As it turns out, they were the real deal indeed, and we harvested one single morel to take back home to try.
I generally don’t enjoy eating mushrooms, so I was apprehensive to try it and only did so because I know how highly regarded morels are. We sliced it and stir-fried it in olive oil with onions, salt, and pepper. The mushroom pieces quickly shriveled up, becoming small and crispy. They were delicious and nothing like I expected. They were very rich and nutty, and not at all slimy.
That was the height of early spring foraging, but we’ve also harvested chickweed, pepperweed, wild onions, and garlic over the past month to add to our dishes. I’ve been collecting the largest leaves on several mullein plants growing around the field and drying them for tea. Most recently, I’ve found wild bergamot growing throughout the woods. Its flowers smell like pine and orange with subtle mint undertones, and it tastes pretty much how it smells. I am careful not to overharvest, but I’ve been gathering a few flowers whenever we go on walks. Now, in early May, the flowers are blooming all over the forest.
Passion vine is coming up again in the field, along with several varieties of milkweed. I’m thrilled about both of these because passion vine is a medicinal plant that’s useful for soothing anxiety, and of course, milkweed is a host plant for monarch butterflies. Passion vine pops up in different spots throughout the field, climbing the tall grass as it grows throughout the summer. I can’t wait to see its alien-like blooms emerge in the next month or so.
In the Garden
The weather in April is reliably unreliable and tumultuous. Layers are essential when working outside in April: a sweater and warm socks in the morning, followed by an afternoon spent in sandals and a sun hat. Perhaps an umbrella. During this unpredictable time, most of our seedlings are indoors under grow lights, safe and sound in the controlled environment of our home. Our predicted last chance of frost was April 5. Alas! That was not the case.
We transplanted most of our Cherokee Purple tomatoes (one of my favorite varieties) outside on April 14th, a time-intensive process done painstakingly after our day jobs, then had a light frost several days later, which most did not survive. My tendency to start too many seeds came in handy though, since I started a few more seeds under the grow lights a couple of weeks ago– just in case. Weirdly, the Brandywine tomatoes all survived the chill. I’ve heard complaints about Brandywines and it seems that many people don’t like them. But I think they’re alright, especially if they can survive a late frost.
The strawberry patch has expanded, and I’ve decided to try covering the berries with netting to deter the birds from stealing a snack before I get to them. I’m all for feeding the birds, but that’s what the native plants and unpoisoned bugs are for! Bushels of berries have been harvested and enjoyed already. Bell peppers, serrano peppers, marigolds, onions, calendula, chamomile, sage, and basil have all been transplanted into the garden. We’ve been working on chopping/dropping the beds after the purple nettle and chickweed have died back, followed by layering chicken manure and wood mulch on the beds to suppress new weeds. We have been consistently harvesting radishes, bok choy, and kale for a few weeks, which has been encouraging to see after the tomatoes died. Nasturtium, hollyhocks, lettuce, spinach, strawberries, onions, cilantro, feverfew, and peas are taking off with fervor. Some of these are almost ready to harvest. The garlic patch is taller than my four-year-old niece, and is showing signs that it's nearing harvest time.
Mulching is an important garden chore in early spring. We are nearing the end of our wood chip pile because we use mulch in so many areas of our garden. Primarily, we use it on paths and around crops. By adding mulch to the garden paths, weeds are suppressed and the paths maintain their integrity a bit more through the heavy spring rains. Keeping the paths intact has been an ongoing job this spring due to all the rain and the fact that we live on a hillside.
The compost needs a refresh, so we’ve been harvesting sections of tall grass with the scythe. We will mix this with other carbon material as well as nitrogen-rich material like food scraps. Last fall, we made a detailed post about how we build our compost from scratch. After several months of building the compost and using it all in early spring, it’s time to build it up again.
New Trees
A conservation district near us holds an annual native plant sale. Last year, we took advantage of it to purchase fruit trees, nut trees, and other native trees and shrubs for a very low price ($2-$10 each). These trees cost at least $30 and even up to $90 at box stores and local nurseries, which are typically cultivars. The plants from the conservation district are bare-root, which makes them more labor intensive to plant, requiring quick planting and plenty of mulch and compost. This is part of why they’re so affordable. Last year’s elderberries, mulberries, cherries, persimmons, and more are coming back this year, but we wanted to add more.
We bought from the sale again this year, bringing home apple, peach, pecan, serviceberry, elderberry, pecan, dogwood, redbud, persimmon, witch hazel, paw paw, and red maple trees. It’s an arduous task to plant all of these trees, and we do have day jobs. So, some of the trees were planted in the ground while others got planted into big pots to buy us some time. Many of them have already begun to sprout leaves– and the elderberries we planted from last year’s sale are coming back as well!
Reflections on Early Spring
May 1 is the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Growth is ramping up in the garden. The hard, physical work of planting trees, maintaining the garden, paths, fencing, and animals is overwhelming at times, but it’s some of the most rewarding work. It is balanced by relaxing walks through the forest and sitting by the creek in the evenings. I’ve enjoyed working outside in the early mornings and late afternoons, and having my nephews and niece over to watch, help, or hang out with the chickens. I’m enjoying connecting more with folks who live nearby, exchanging fresh eggs or plant starts for honey or coffee, and having a nice conversation.