The weather has been gloriously warm all week so I've spent long hours out in the garden. Mostly it's a work of demolition. Shrubs obstructing the space underneath the pergola have to be ripped up (except for one that could be a wisteria so we'll wait a few weeks before we pronounce a death sentence on that one). The "lawn" needs to be de-buttercupped. And then there are the nettles. Over the years, these have been chopped down but never removed. Consequently innocent little nettle sproutlings grow from roots like varicosed veins. Pulling them out is very satisfying if you get a good grip. First one little sprout, then another a few centimetres away, then another...and another come up, each with its little puff of dust. Overall, it looks like machine gun fire.
On a culinary note (and yes, I intend to make nettle soup, nettle quiche, nettle bourgignon...joking) I came upon a perfect rosette of dandelions on Thursday just as I was packing up for the day. Dug it up, had it rinsing in the sink in minutes, and on our plates simply dressed with Perry's olive oil and salt a few hours later. A little bitter, it went well with the grilled saucisses and polenta, and ratatouille that made up the rest of the meal.
Friday is market day so I abandoned the garden and off we went to Lavelanet, long list in hand. There's a whiff of incipient spring cleaning in the air. Sold all year round, cleaning overalls--mostly in shades of blue--are out in force.
And SuperU (one of Lavelanet's supermarkets) has orange concrete mixers on special.
No comments:
Post a Comment