A few things that have wintered over…
Good King Henry - more like spinach, before there was spinach
Close up of Good King Henry
Spinach a/k/a 'spinage' - this was planted last fall.
Orach, aslo known as 'orage' - sometimes in the 21st century called mountain spinach. This is a red variety - there is also a green variety.
New growth…..
Sorrel - makes a great sauce for sops, chicken and fish.
Clary sage - these leaves are used in tansys, and can be fried.
Clary sage
Walnut buds - these are also used in tansys
It’s also corn planting time.
Corn hills - waiting for herring
More corn ground.....
To make the best tansy
First then for making the best tansy, you shall take a certain number of eggs, according to the bigness of your frying pan, and break them into a dish, abating ever the white of every third egg; then with a spoon you shall cleanse away the little white chicken knots which stick unto the yolks; then with a little cream beat them exceedingly well together; then take of green wheat blades, violet leaves, strawberry leaves, spinach, and succory, of each a like quantity, and a few walnut tree buds; chop and beat all of these well, then strain out the juice, and, mixing it with a little more cream, put it to the eggs, and stir it all well together; then put in a few crumbs of bread, fine grated bread, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, then put some sweet butter into the frying pan, and so soon as it is dissolved or melted, put in the tansy, and fry it brown without burning, and with a dish turn it in the pan as occasion shall serve; then serve it up, having strewed good store of sugar upon it, for to put in sugar before will make it heavy. Some use to put of the herb tansy into it, but the walnut tree buds do give better taste or relish; and therefore when you please to use the one, do not use the other.
-Markham, G. The English Housewife. Best ed. p. 68.
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