Early spring is the perfect time to go foraging in your garden. Today, I foraged chickweed and dandelion flowers and greens.

The chickweed is simple: clip it (rather than pulling up from the roots), wash it (I like to use a vinegar water soak), and bag it with a few paper towels to absorb moisture. Munch on it directly from the bag or use it as salad greens.

The dandelion geeens are another story. Although you could just tear off the leaves, I uproot them to stop their spread. Because they are closer to the ground, they are much dirtier and therefore it takes several vinegar-water soaks to get them clean. Tonight, I’m working on blanching them by placing the greens in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then putting them in an ice bath. I’ll bag them and freeze them to add some greens to smoothies.

quick note on foraging: I limit foraging to plants I am 100% certain I’ve correctly ID’ed and I limit my foraging location to my own yard. I can be sure I haven’t applied pesticides to my own yard. Everywhere else, I can’t be sure of.

Cold stratification is in progress for milkweed seeds and black eyed Susan seeds. Today, I added garlic cloves wrapped in damp paper towels to the mix.

In addition, last summer I began saving basil seeds and with the help of neighbors’ empty egg cartons, I’ve started planting them to grow them inside for a month.