…and the garden craziness is finally subsiding.
We had our first early harvest of bok choi, and the baby spinaches are going to be ready soon. In addition, I found a treat growing near the compost pile: chamomile! The first flush of blooms are currently drying out on the kitchen counter.
I’ve also been in an odd place regarding invasive species. Every year, I conduct a holy war against garlic mustard, particularly when it shows up in the conservation land. I thought I got most of it last year, but I must have missed some because the patch tripled in size this year. But it’s tasty, so I’m happy to continue pulverizing it into pesto.
Mugwort, on the other hand, is something of a sacred herb in my practice, but (at least on our property) it has become incredibly invasive. Thankfully, it seems red clover manages to compete, but last season we had a three acre field completely covered in mugwort. But somehow, even through I know how incredibly invasive it is, I have trouble bringing myself to pull it up. I do it, but with no small amount of regret. The mugwort patch under our steps was evicted in favor of ferns and lady’s mantle. I’ve kept a few token stalks of mugwort next to basement door, but I plan on keeping the blooms from seeding.
As seems to happen every year, the more fun I have outside, the less I tend to blog. So updates will be sporadic, but I’m at peace with that. It will be what it needs to be.
—A.V.
The Druid's Well 