Spring is here

[SitkaSpruce]

The chiffchaffs arrived at Easter- feels like spring now. The warm weather is bringing out the larch needles, on Sunday we could almost see the wood greening up. What's arrived in your wood?

[Rich]

I've been foraging ramsons, wild garlic for about a month, but now they are lush and some are about to flower. Pick a handful, add to a salad, if the flavour is too strong for you, take the heat out a bit ... with some heat! Chop some up, add a couple of eggs turn into a pan for an omelette. Crush and add oil and soft cheese, pine nuts for a pesto!

[calvertwood]

Amen to wild garlic. There's so much you can do with it. Pick the pods, or whatever they're called, before they flower, stick them briefly in a little boiling vinegar, and bottle when cold for a crunchy and flavourful pickle. Then, when the flowers are out, pick a few handfuls and strew them over a salad. They look beautiful and taste good. Finally, when the flowers have gone, I gather the seeds, dry them in a low oven, then mix them with salt flakes for a wild version of garlic salt, which lasts all year.

Nick

[smojo]

Covered in wood anemonies in flower now, bluebells not flowering yet but plenty around, ramsons, lords and ladies, hazel and birch opening leaves, looking real pretty now

[The Barrowers]

Got one small clump of wild garlic leaves, leaving them to spread a few years before taking handfuls

Only 2 bluebells out Easter weekend many wood anemones New Badger holes Jays in pairs when I normally see them by themselves