My Little Spring Treats

By Julie Boudreau

Every fall, when the frost arrives and my farmers’ market announces it will close for the winter, I fall into vegetable depression. No more delicious, fresh, local vegetables. It’s the return of the pale, shriveled vegetables from the supermarket. My mission: survive until spring!

Of course, I stock up on greenery by growing microgreens and sprouts. I even make small mixed lettuces. But there’s nothing like a beautiful edible plant grown under the real rays of the sun!

So, as soon as the snow melts and the hope of a renewal of greenery reappears, I rush to the garden to see and wait… Waiting for the first shoots to finally appear which will form my first fresh salads of the year!

What Am I Waiting For?

Among the first edible greens to appear is sorrel (Rumex acetosa). This perennial plant starts growing as soon as the soil just begins to warm up. Every morning I go out and practically pull on the leaves so they grow faster! Barely 2 inches long, they are grabbed and swallowed up by the edible junkie that I am!

As soon as I can dig a 2 inches furrow in the still frozen soil, I start sowing what I call my little spring treats. They are cold climate vegetables and fast growing. So, I sow rows of mixed lettuce, spinach and even peas.

Then, I crawl in the lawn, looking for the first dandelions. The young leaves are less bitter and will also end up in my plate. So, my first salads are a beautiful composition of all these things, full of vitamins and sunshine!

Finally, I also tour the large masses of daylilies and hostas to harvest some young shoots which I will blanch and grill while waiting for the first asparagus!  

Find Your Hot Spot!

A few years ago, I began to think that my first vegetables were not early enough. Of course, if I had a greenhouse, the question would not arise. I have also grown early crops in a cold frame before, but these days my garden does not have one.

And so I paid more attention to the hot spots in my garden. Let me explain. Every spring, the snow always melts a little faster in some places than others. At my house, the exterior wall of the backyard is due south and it is along the side of the house that I see the first stains of soil. At the end of the backyard, there is always 2 feet of snow, but there, near the house… nothing!

One beautiful spring, I decided to exploit my heat zone. I weeded a small area, added compost and then sowed my early vegetables there! Result: I was able to consume young lettuce leaves a week before those from my vegetable garden! No need to say more. The following spring I transplanted a few sorrel plants and some rhubarb into this hot spot and enlarged the seeding area.

It’s a very small area that I exploit as much as possible at the start of the season, but which I abandon as soon as the soil is ready in the vegetable garden.

Anyway, I’m taking full advantage of these few extra days that my new vegetable garden is offering me. It thus extends the duration of my green phase. In a few weeks, you will find me crawling in the garden, pulling sorrel leaves and dandelion leaves, touring my fiddlehead spots, starting my harvest of coltsfoot flowers and mullein leaves. Yes, with spring comes life and good edible greenery!