Wildcraft: Waiting on Spring

Here in Southern Ohio the green things are beginning to burgeon. Trees are blooming, birds are singing... wild things are still thin on the ground if you are hungry, however. The early spring greens I talked about last week are definitely here. Now is the time to start watching for teasel leaves peeping through the detritus, and about the only time of the year I'd eat them. They have little spines that get harder and pokier as they mature. The tall seedheads make them easy to spot, though.

Teasel rattling in the wind, dry, brittle, a left over of the summer before.

Now is the time of year to start eyeing the wild places around you and taking note of signs that there will be goodies here later. It can be easier to see flowers that presage the berries of summer than it is to spot the green leaved bushes a little later on.

Serviceberry flowers are one of the very earliest spring blooms.

Serviceberries are ubiquitous across New England, the upper Midwest, and even up into Alaska. The pretty blooms, sweet berries in June(ish) and blazing red fall foliage make them prime landscape choices, too. At least in my garden! As they are a small tree, they can be tucked in a corner and enjoyed all year round.

Serviceberry close to ripe, they are sweet and mild flavored.

Blueberry bushes are actually easier to spot in winter, when their red twigs are a dead giveaway (not to be confused with red-twig dogwood, as blueberry twigs are more delicate, branched, and less bright a red). But the blooms are a good sign of berries yet to come. Later in the spring, keep an eye out for blackberry blossoms, and raspberries, as you are hunting other things. Part of wildcrafting is learning to see all the details around you and understand what they mean for other times, not just the here-and-now.

A hoverfly perches on Blackberry blossoms.

For that matter, crabapple and seedling (wild) apple blooms are good things to keep an eye on as they appear. Both have fruit too tart to eat raw out of hand, but both make absolutely wonderful jellies.

Apple Blossoms - because they are beautiful!

Mayapple is another early spring bloom to look for. Their fruits later in the year are only edible when quite ripe, and you will have to race the wild critters for them! I always manage to lose that race.

Mayapple bud

While we're talking about spring flowers, let's talk edible flowers, too. Spring Beauty (Eastern US), Miner's Lettuce (Western US), and other Claytonia spp are edible both leaf and flower, and very nice added to salads. You can cook them, but they are delicate enough to munch raw and break down a lot when cooked.  

Spring Beauty, one of many Claytonia spp.

Any day now, wild violets will start blooming in my lawn. Any of the violaceae are edible, their leaves high in Vit A and C, and their flowers a pretty addition to salads, or as I once used them, to decorate a cake. Candied violets were once a special treat!

Violets and spring beauty