Sweet, sweet woodruff

April was a heavy month for a lot of folks in our community. The lunar eclipse, cardinal cross, solar eclipse holy trinity carried lots and lots of energy very quickly! So I think most are delighted that May has finally bloomed. My family has been enjoying these warm days, taking long restorative walks in the woods and meadows near our home. While checking up on a morel spot my partner discovered last spring, we experienced some of the seasons first woodland blooms: trout lily, red trillium, and an abundance of crows toes lining the forest floor. In the full sun we found wild bergamot popping up and an exciting amount of wild strawberries flowering! In the kitchen we are eating what is in abundance: salads filled with chickweed, violet leaves and flowers, ground ivy flowers, dead nettle and lots of cooked asparagus, ramps, dandelion greens, fiddleheads, cleavers and nettles.

...and of course dessert, violet gelato has happened and I am forever changed. We are also experimenting with sweet woodruff infused sweets! A New Englanders answer to vanilla, we are grateful this coumarin laced plant grows in our shady, boggy yard. Lastly, the elixir making is in full swing. Mays flowers are a reminder to bust out your brandy and get your flower essences on! Enjoy it all.