Wednesday 30 March 2011

Spring at Lower Buckton

Salad Burnet
For me the changing of the clocks herald spring no matter the weather.  To enjoy these lengthening days is nature's tonic for the winter-weary! As I write, the sunny evening shadows are passing over the Wigmore Rolls and there's a busy buzz in the air of birds, insects and animals astir.  My window ledges are cluttered with Henry's seedlings being given a "warm start" before he relegates them to the un-heated greenhouse and then to the garden.  I was pleased to see the back of "pheasant for dinner" half-way through February.  Delicious as pheasant is, it belongs "in season",  redolent of chilly winter evenings.  We've had plenty of roots and I've made the last of the winter hoard of parsnips into soup, said goodbye to the leeks and the new season's are already sown.  Looks like we've lost the Rosemary to acute frost damage.  A huge bush, it took a hammering in 2009/10 and I was amazed it recovered but this winter's relentless frost and snow appears to have taken its toll.  However not all is lost and we're picking the lemony sorrel, frilly fronds of fennel, peppery rocket, salad burnet, spiky chives, red chicory, lovage, land cress, sage and marjoram which are just left to get on with life and have come through the winter completely unscathed.  Then of course there's all the truly wild stuff coming through such as nettle tops and ramsons (wild garlic).  I feel a lot more soup on the way!
Daffs out for St David's Day!