The season for harvesting from the garden is now here. The lettuce I carefully grew from seed is in full leafy glory. Our potatoes are showing their greens pushing up through the ground, onions wave 'Hello' with their greens. The sweet peas grace the garden with their beautiful flowers. These are all going to be delicious treats from the veggie garden--but this is not the harvesting I am referring to. I am excited about gathering from the woods, the yard and ornamental flower beds. To me there is nothing like gathering up so many delicious, beautiful vitamin-packed treats. There are so many discoverable mushrooms, herbs, weeds, and flowers growing all around us.
My children and I spent some time in the woods searching for and gathering up wild violets that we added to our ice cubes to make for pretty, vitamin enriched drinks.
After collecting violets we ventured through the woods. To our joy and amazement we found our first Morel of the season. We have never seen one growing in the wild. Since attending the mushroom workshop I now know that they grow in my area.
At dinner time, my children and I went out into the garden to collect lettuce. Afterwards we walked around the yard and gardens collecting Dandelion leaves, Peony petals, Johnny jump-up flowers, Lilac flowers, and Wild Sorrel to add to our salad. While it is satisfying to gather an essentially free dinner, these culinary delights also provide many amazing vitamins, and are ever so pleasing to the eye!
