Spring, Sprang, Sprung!

Woke up this morning to crusty, frost-kissed grass and misty edges along the fields and woods. But that sky! That crisp blueness that makes my soul just sing. And YES! It is now officially Spring. The Vernal Equinox. (1. “of, relating to, or occurring in the Spring.” 2. “fresh or new like Spring.” –Merriam-Webster.) This is a time of balance, when the day light and the night are equal in length. But we know that the days are slowly growing longer.

The past few Springs, we would often be found lurking in our local Tractor Supply store peeking at their newest offerings of chicks and ducklings determining which new breed we wanted to add to our flock. This year, we’ve decided seven chickens will be adequate. So, we are not increasing the flock. But oh my goodness, those sweet little fluff balls get me every time!

See what I mean? Cuteness overload, right here.

Walking around our property earlier I was trying to size up the locust tree we had come down during our most recent wind storm just a few days ago. The burn pile out back will be increasing in size soon as we clean up the Winter detritus of fallen limbs, old dead leaves from last Fall, and soggy cardboard boxes that are beyond recycle.

And I noticed the first tiny signs of some of my favorite Spring ‘weeds’ poking out near the young daffodils. Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureaum) and Sweet Violets (Violaceae). Both of these plants are highly nutritious and can be freshly picked and tossed into salads or smoothies.

The Dead Nettle have a square stem as they are in the mint family, but their leaves are fuzzy which I find rather off-putting when I eat them, so I prefer turning them into a wild weed Pesto or an herbal salve for cracked gardener’s hands.

The Violets are crisp and mild and I enjoy chomping on them any time. Their tiny purple flowers look sweet decorating desserts and puddings. They are also highly beneficial in an herbal salve.

Even though I am still wearing layers to stay warm with thick fuzzy socks and muck boots to get around, Mother Earth has definitely moved into full Spring-time mode. This is my happy place!

Here are the recipes for wild weed pesto and a basic herbal salve:

Wild Weed Pesto

Ingredients include: 4 cups of assorted wild and/or cultivated edible greens, 1/4 blanched slivered almonds or pine nuts, 3 cloves garlic, zest of one lemon, 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions:

1. Rinse, drain, and pat dry your foraged edibles
2. In the bowl of a food processor, quickly pulse garlic and almonds/pine nuts to a rough meal
3. Add fresh greens and lemon zest to food processor and pulse until well combined
4. While food processor is running, slowly pour in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with desired dish (on flat bread with a sprinkle of goat cheese, over fish, chicken or pasta.)

Thanks go to Devon Young at Nitty Gritty Life for this delicious recipe.

Basic Herbal Salve

Ingredients:

Herb Infused oil which includes 1-1 1/2 cups carrier oil (olive or almond oil works well) plus 1/2 cup dried herbs of choice (purple dead nettle, violet, comfrey, plantain, dandelion, etc.)

Herbal Salve which includes 1-1 1/2 cups of herb infused oil plus 1 ounce beeswax and 12-24 drops essential oil of your choice (I really like lavender)

Instructions:

Herb infused oil: Put your dried herbs in a jar and cover with carrier oil of choice. Cover and place in a sunny window for a few weeks. Strain the herbs and reserve the oil for making your salve.

Herbal Salve: Heat your infused herbal oil in a double boiler. You can use a metal bowl or glass Pyrex measuring cup over a pot of water if need be. Add the beeswax and stir until it completely dissolves in the herbal oil. Stir in the essential oil of choice. Carefully pour the mixture into jars or tins and set aside until the salve solidifies. Use as needed on cracked and dry skin and any rough patches.

(Thank you Colleen@Grow Forage Cook Ferment)