Monday 25 February 2008

promising signs... and a walk on the wild side

I don't know about you, but I've been pleased to see the arrival over the past couple of weeks of plenty of these in gardens, parks, and commons:

daffodil

Their fantastic burst of colour signals both the end of winter and the promise of new beginnings. Who could possibly resist? I've always found daffodils utterly charming, and they always make me smile.

But I'm also happy to see other plants and flowers, too, and most of all, these...

Spring nettles

Yes, that's right. Young stinging nettles. There are masses of them on the common near my house, and whenever I see them, I think of fabulous meals to come: not just nettle soup (whether in combination with some other vegetable or not), but nettle pesto, nettle gnocchi, nettle risotto, nettle frittata....

The best bit? They're absolutely free.

Wild food. Edgy, free, and wonderfully good for you. Pick some now before I beat you to it!

12 comments:

Cynthia said...

I love autum but I've always found that spring is the season that makes the boldest statment - it's about life anew, new beginnings and it's a reminder that there is a higher being. I love spring (even though I live in the Caribbean)

Anonymous said...

Absolutely free of charge, and I will make you tea or coffee and a cakey snack, you can come and pick my nettles.
I know. My generosity astounds you.
I even have some marigolds for you to borrow. Cheers and thanks!

Gattina Cheung said...

I remember the delightful daffodils being round this time of year, they are really pretty!

Pixie said...

I've never cooked with nettle before, just have had the tea. I'm also enjoying all the flowers starting to bloom. :)

Greg said...

OH wow! Look at that. It's still well below freezing here.

Anonymous said...

I have some miniature daffodils on my balcony that opened proudly a few weeks ago and they really brought the sunshine back to my life!

Maria Verivaki said...

you must think i'm so wasteful - we've got a garden full of nettles, and they've been there since the autumn, but we never use them. I suppose it's because we have so many other greens (in the same garden and elsewhere), that we never think of using the humble nettle. we just never run out of greens in hania, and we're always chasing the more 'cultivated' type!

Anonymous said...

i'm jealous! it's still too early here for bulbs to bloom.

Maggie said...

I love the daffodils, but unfortunately I can't share your enthusiasm for nettles.

Rosie said...

Oh I do so agree about seeing the first blooms of daffodils and spring in the air what a lovely site. I have never tried cooking with nettles something to keep in mind ;)

Rosie x

Sarah Bell said...

Your photos are excellent, very good blog ;-)

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