Spring Greening
story by Donna Hecker & photography by Talitha Schroeder
Spring is a legendary time of rebirth and rejuvenation. As the soil warms and fields and lawns turn green, and spring beauties and daffodils burst forth; the gardeners among us sow seeds for plants that don’t mind a nip or two of frost. Radishes, spring onions, sugar snap peas and lettuces are already in the ground at Holly Hill Inn.
And then there are those gifts from the earth – free for the taking if we only know where to look, although some require more effort on our part than others. Morels are popping up across Kentucky from Breckinridge County in the west down to the Tennessee line and east towards Knox County. Ramps have been spotted here and there. Daylilies are rising; the young shoots can be cut and cooked in stir-fries and broths; but leave some to flower come summer.
This year spring arrived a little early at Turtleback Ridge. As the farm and brewery celebrated Maplefest, the tap lines in the maple grove were carrying the last bit of sap, and cleanup was about to commence. What began as a household project to bottle a bit of maple syrup for family and friends has expanded to an operation involving a few hundred trees and a sap pan large enough to boil down 25-30 gallons every hour, burning through a stack of wood daily.
From Turtleback Ridge, we traveled to Three Springs Farm, home of our staff farmer David Wagoner and his family, where their dog Bando escorted us on a tour of the garden. Nettles, sorrel and chickweed were growing profusely, and a few Jerusalem artichokes still lingered as David explained the makings of their hippie salad to us.
A few days later, David arrived with hippie salad ingredients and other odds and ends, and showed us how to steep nettles for what he promised was a “nutrient dense hearty green tisane. A good anti-inflammatory. Tasty, with notes of chicken.”
In the days before pharmacies and supplements, folks shopped the woods and fields for remedies, and spring tonics were a valuable source of much-needed vitamins and minerals. Rhubarb, known as spring fruit, is full of antioxidants and vitamins A, C and K; and contains lots of beneficial fiber. When ours is ready to cut, we’ll stew the stalks in simple syrup for stirring into rosy-hued cocktails.
An herbalist friend makes fire cider every year. Any wintered-over onions and garlic can be incorporated, along with newly dug horseradish and turmeric, and fresh and dried herbs and chilies. Now would be a good time to mix up a batch and bottle it for next winter. Fire cider will keep refrigerated for up to a year and is reputed to ward off colds and flu and other ailments.
At Holly Hill Inn, we often serve a “kilt” salad – bitter greens wilted with a hot sorghum vinaigrette. When Paul and Judi Patton were in residence at the Kentucky Governor’s Mansion, Judi’s Pikeville friends dropped off a mess of early lettuces with skinny green onions every spring to be dressed in hot bacon fat with a splash of apple cider vinegar, and eaten with relish.
All green, all good. And all around us. As the days lengthen and the sun warms, it’s good to get out and remind ourselves that no matter what else is happening in the world, there’s a patch of green waiting to restore us. Whether the harvest it yields is edible or not.
Related Content
Arwen’s Hippie Salad
Arwen Donahue shares her recipe for this “freaking beautiful” salad made with odds and ends from the garden she tends with her husband (and our staff farmer) David Wagoner at their Three Springs Farm.
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