February Thaw

Hello, water.

Hello, lilies.

Hello, spinach.

Hello, garlic.

Hello, thyme.

Hello, mullein.

Hello, ground ivy.

Hello, grass.

Hello, nettle.

Hello, lettuce.

Fiddlehead Wander

The first of the fiddleheads are up! I harvested two servings of the spring delicacies from the early shoots. I will return for at least one more harvest before they go by. In northern New Hampshire, I start to look for fiddleheads just before Mother’s Day. Start checking earlier if you are more south.

First fiddleheads of the season.

If you are thinking about harvesting your own fiddleheads to eat, make sure you can tell the difference between ostrich ferns, which make safe, edible fiddleheads, and all the other fiddleheads that sprout up in the same place as the ostrich ferns. Some of the other ferns are technically edible, but they are not recommended because they can promote stomach cancer. Ostrich ferns are generally considered safe as long as they are cooked, but if you want to try them, you should do your own research and make your own informed decision about whether or not to eat them.

Ostrich ferns are GREEN green, not yellowish, not reddish, just green. The fiddleheads grow in groups from a crown that often sticks slightly above the ground. They can vary in size; young crowns produce smaller fiddleheads. Ostrich fern fiddleheads are smooth, and they have a pronounced u-shaped channel down the stem like celery. They also have brown, papery “chaffe” in varying amounts on both the crown and clinging onto the fiddleheads. Make sure your fiddleheads have ALL of these characteristics before considering eating them.

This is an ostrich fern.

OSTRICH FERNS ARE NOT: fuzzy, hairy, bumpy, spiny, red, brown, black, purple, light green, multi-colored, spotted.

Below are all the other ferns that I saw growing alongside fiddleheads today. Make sure you do your research, ask an expert, and when in doubt don’t put it in your mouth!

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

THIS IS NOT AN OSTRICH FERN

Beltane Wander

Rain used to be a disappointment. Days when it wasn’t pleasant to be outside, when I wanted to stay in and was annoyed if I had to go out. But when I started farming, the rain became a joy, even though we spent more time out in it getting wet: moving fences, harvesting kale, etc., the work of farming doesn’t take a day off. But the earth needs rain; the plants need rain, and by extension we need it, too. So I learned to embrace the rain, to welcome it, to work through it or to welcome the opportunity to rest indoors until it passes. Especially this year, every inch of rain is a blessing, and the plants are loving the couple of inches we received this week. The violets bloomed immediately after the first soaking rain, as if they were waiting for a drink, and all the rest are growing happily now. The earth has heaved a collective sigh of relief, and I along with it.

Here is a look at what is poppingin the gardens right now.

Grape hyacinth

pussy toes growing in the lawn between mowings

white violet

First out of the gate ferns, but not the ostrich ferns that we usually eat. The last time these ferns emerged, the were in the shade on the side of the road, before the line crew cut down all the trees above them. I wonder how they will manage this time?

A new plant frowing in recently disturbed grown. I still need to ID it.

close-up on the same plant

The violets are thriving since the rains came!

The dandelions are starting to pop, and the pollinators are on it.

These paperwhites survived below a spruce tree for 30 years, where they rarely bloomed, but they are much happier since the tree came down.