Pick the Dandelions

Dandelions are tough, lawless vagrants. They may be the most infamous of weeds and the most resilient. They form deep roots and do not let go of the earth easily. Most of us try to rid our lawns of them to keep a manicured setting. It is easy to become distracted by the thing that doesn't belong, a compulsion, and sometimes guilty pleasure to grab hold and pull them out, if you're lucky to get hold of the whole root, but truly, a bit of color never hurts.

As it turns out, Dandelions can be quite tasty, their greens at least. I found a gem of a book at the "free store" we have adjacent to the town dump.  You can drop off stuff, and pick up stuff, everything from furniture, clothes, appliances, books, albums, you name it. We have found many a treasure.  The book I am referring to is titled The Home Gardener's Cookbook, written in 1974, by Marjorie Page Blanchard.  She discusses the relevance of each month to the garden.  In January, it is time to order your seeds, and she lists all her favorites.  In February, she entices the reader to start diagramming their garden plot and to consider adding a small orchard! March has the "maple moon" and in April, it's about the Dandelions.  Included in each chapter of each month is a recipe or two.  She recommends adding it to tired salads, as it is a welcome spring tonic.  Pick them young before the flower blossoms. And for those adventurous cooks here is an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for a dressing delicious on the bitter greens:

Bibs Brown's Dressing for Dandelions

Cut 4 slices of bacon into small pieces and cook.  Pour off all but 3 tbsp. of fat.  When bacon is crisp, add 1 heaping tsp. of flour and stir smooth.  Brown this mixture.  In a bowl crack 2 eggs and beat just enough to break yolks. Add about 1/2 tsp. salt and about 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup vinegar.  Add 2 tbsp. milk or cream.  Mix all together and pour into bacon batter and cook. Add 2 chopped hard-cooked eggs.  Pour over dandelion greens.  Add more sugar or vinegar if necessary.

A friend of mine says a "weed is a wildflower looking for a home." My favorite thing about Dandelions is their snow when you blow on them, and their seeds scatter and sow a wish or two. Maybe these weeds can stay. Just maybe a bouquet of Dandelion blossoms will make your day.

Reserves for a Lifetime

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts" -Rachel Carson

  

Rachel Carson, scientist and author of several books, her most influential being Silent Spring,  wished for all to sense the wonder of nature.  She wrote of our basic need to notice, appreciate, and respect our natural world.  There is no easier time to do this than Spring. And we are lucky here in New England to be getting an early taste.

With an unusually mild winter, followed by record-setting high temperatures one fabulous week in March, many of us chose to start an early crop.  The soil was warm, and buds were opening, it only seemed right. As my sister pointed out, for the cost of a packet of seeds, there is nothing to lose, but everything to gain. The joy in watching sprouts appear is perpetual. 

We got one of our gardens going. So far, we have pea sprouts, lettuce, and kale that have appeared. Also,the rhubarb has returned on its own merit.  With the turn to colder weather, we followed a tip that our friends in Florida have done, and that is to pour warm water over them.  I'll let you know how we make out.

We saw that our friend Farmer Frank had his blue Ford tractor parked in front of the barn, the sure sign he is getting ready for the season. Check out my poem Rotondo Farm on Rt. 62. Before we got to know Frank, his farm stand inspired this poem.

Other wonders that have us skipping are, what I call, the purple stars of Spring.  They are the Glory of the Snow, the Wood Hyacinths, the Grape Hyacinths, the Crocuses, and the blue-bell shaped blooms of the Siberian Squill.  They, along with the Jonquils, are all playing Ring-a-Round the Rosie with the poised-to-open Magnolia tree.

The Daffodils and fountains of Forsythias are gushing Spring....

and one other sure sign...the Herring are running!

For those that are unfamiliar with a Herring Run, check out the Stony Brook Herring Run in Brewster, MA.