Wild Food

The same day the peepers began their chorus, the leeks began to appear. It was March 28th and the next day it snowed.
I walked through the woods on April 3rd and was surprised to see how fast they had grown. The trout lily was also up adding some more green, along with moss and the Christmas ferns.
It is extremely difficult to grow the native wild leek in a domesticated vegetable garden because of the unique growing conditions they require. They are a good tasting “wild” food.
Leeks, or as some call them ramps, are a perennial woodland herb, native to much of the eastern sections of North America. The time frame for digging this first crop of the wild “recession” garden is short. Once the woods canopy shades the ground, usually mid to late May, the leeks bloom, and then die back. The distinctive, white flowers (photograph) produce black seeds which are then scattered for future crops.
It pays to be careful when harvesting them, don't take them all and be sure to bring along a shovel; they can be tricky to get out of the soil. Both the white bulb, which looks like a scallion, and the leaves are edible.
There are numerous healthy recipes; the bulbs can be pickled, dried or frozen for future use. Because they have a pungent garlic-onion flavor, pay attention to how many are used in a recipe. Leeks are high in Vitamins A and C and contain some minerals which are beneficial.
While there is a lot of discussions about “recession” gardens this year, there are edible plants which can be harvested in the woods. Spring is a great time to collect some of these foods and to get re-acquainted with our many natural resources. Within weeks the woods will be alive with hundreds of unique and colorful native plants. It pays to be watchful, know what you are harvesting and don't take it all.

For more gardening news and information visit Kathleen Richardson
or Dan at Urban Veggies
or other writing I have done.

Thanks for stopping by.

One Down, Two to Go

There has been one snowfall since the peepers started to sing on March 28. According to the weather lore, that means we will have two more to go. It snowed, about an inch on March 29th, the day after the frogs chorus started. We'll see what happens.
Here the spring peeps normally start the last week of March, last year was an exception; it was April 3rd. For me, it means time to plant the peas. If you have any weather lore about spring, why not place a comment?
According to some news articles, a lot of people are planning a vegetable garden this year, “Recession Gardens”, to save food money. It is possible to save hundreds of dollars this year if planted wisely. Be sure to check out some of the links; CNN News and Dan at Urban Veggies Blog
Fellow Helium writer Kathleen Richardson also has some great gardening artciles. She also wites a good Zone blog on the southern Tier in nearby New York State.
On April 11 in Sagertown at the H&H store, the Crawford County Pomona Grange will have a bake sale beginning at 9 am. The proceeds help to fund the many activities sponsored by the Grange, which is also a great resource for vegetable garden information. If you would like to contribute or need more information, just leave a comment at the end of this entry.
Also on April 11th at 7 p.m., there will be a Pomona Grange meeting at the Hayfield Grange Hall. Everyone is welcome to this meeting. It is a good time to get aquainted with the active organization which has a wide range of activities for the entire family.
On April 1st, students from the Linesville High School Envirothon Team planted trees and shrubs to help form a riparian buffer zone at the Wilson Boat Launch area of Pymatuming. Trees and shrubs are planted to help erosion problems, pollution concerns and a better habitat area for fish and other wildlife. The Crawford County Conservation District was one of the major sponsors in the effort. Brian Pilarick, a watershed specialist at the district was one of the leaders in the project. We'll have an update soon and how the project went.
For other gardening articles please visit some of what I have written at Helium. The latest artcile is on comapnion planting. For even more information, click on the title. It will take you to my Zone blog, Rosy Reds, the Frogs and the Vegetable Garden. Thanks for the visit.