My favourite time of year - well, one of them :-)
The bluebells are out early this year in the local woods, along with the wood sorrel, lesser celandine, wood anemones and wood spurge, whilst the ramsons, garlic mustard, wood forget-me-nots and fool's parsley are gracing the sides of the footpath. The aroma is marvellous! Seen from a distance, the woodland is becoming a patchwork of new green leaves and blossom; I love the stained glass brightness of the early beech leaves following on from the golden waterfall of hazel catkins against the backdrop of dark green holly and the greys and browns of the tree bark. The temperature is perfect for running and the mud dries up quickly once it's stopped raining; even the rock has been drying out nicely for the local gritstone climbers!
For the foragers amongst you, this is now well into the green tonic season when traditionally people would have been seeking to boost their vitamin C levels after the scarcity of winter months. Young nettles used in tea, soups and stews (the sting is destroyed by heat); cleavers steeped overnight in drinking water then strained and the liquid consumed cold; young hawthorn and linden blossom leaves; garlic mustard, dandelion leaves, rocket, chickweed, fat hen, wild garlic (ramson) leaves and flowers and calendula (pot marigold) flowers in salads or broths. Always take a high quality plant identification book with you, and don't consume a plant if you are in any doubt about what you have picked.... Especially if it is an umberliferae, amongst whose numbers hemlock is to be found! I have been bringing back wild garlic leaves which are delicious in stir fries or wrapped around salmon or chicken pieces before baking them. I like them raw in salads too, although the garlic taste is a little overwhelming for some.
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