It’s always possible to find summat

Today was a real return to winter, cold wind, sharp showers and a flurry or two of snow. My feet took a long time to thaw out despite the thick wool socks in my wellies. Mary is somewhat obsessed about socks needing to be pure wool, but on a day like today, I think she has a right to be a bit particular.

Even though it’s only mid January, stuff is beginning to grow. Unless we get a really Arctic blast of air, it looks like many of our perennial “weeds” will begin to put on a spurt of growth. Maybe it’s the lengthening days, for we are over a month past the Spring equinox. The crows are flying out from their roost almost 30 minutes earlier than they did at Christmas, and they’re maybe a bit noisier to boot – the hormones are also rising and they’re  showing off a bit.

Out and about today, I found quite a bit of good fresh growth of cleavers, dandelion and cow parsley in the woodland at Oxford Island. I nibbled some and couldn’t get over how fragrant and fresh it all tasted, and with no bitterness. I brought a bunch home and blitzed it in the blender with a bit of oil and just added it as a side serving with the dinner. I suppose I could have blanched it a bit as well, but I wanted to see what it was like, effectively raw. The cleavers can be a bit “rugged”, but as it was such young growth, it was pretty soft and palatable.

Cleavers/goose-grass emerging through the leaves