You Know It’s Spring When…

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I really enjoy looking at all the articles published in the northern hemisphere about decorating for each new season. There’s a plethora of leaves as swags, in vases and on mantels, there’s seasonally colour framed quotes, buckets full of flowers, wreaths and especially decorated front porches. And now, all the American articles are about pumpkins and Halloween. Apart from flowers, most of my changes for spring seem to revolve around food!

SMALL, SWEET STRAWBERRIES

Spring means strawberries! They are small, aromatic and very sweet. Tart Greek sheeps’ yoghurt dolloped on dark red, sweet strawberries is a wonderful way to start the day!

CUT FLOWERS IN THE HOUSE

So many vases of fresh flowers in the house, just as I like it!

The roses have recovered from last seasons chilli thrip.

I collected the roses off the tables at Mum’s birthday lunch and reused them. Such pretty colours.

FLOWERS, FLoWERS, FLOWERS!

The garden is full of colour from tiny wood violets to blowsy roses, red and white hippiastras, Big Red geraniums, pelagoniums, nasturtiums and lavenders. The long lasting alstromerias are blooming, too.

Nothing says spring like flowers! There’s masses of flowers. After a dreadful season battling chilli thrip attacks on the roses all the bushes have all bounced back and are covered in gorgeous blooms. The garden is loud with busy bees.

FLORALS EVERYWHERE

Walk through the shopping centre and the displays of floral clothing are everywhere. Open any decorator magazine and the fabrics and wallpapers are all botanical themes. Everything from toile to eye poppingly bright florals. Pretty, fresh and such a change after the dark colours of winter.

Wallpaper with botanical prints.

Floral bed linen.

Pretty floral dresses.

Bedlinen, dresses, cushions, flowers on everything this year.

CONSTANTLY CONTROLLING WEEDS

Metropolitan Perth, where we live, has had the second wettest July on record. The weeds are thriving! I’ve experimented with a few non-toxic weed killers and have found this one works (here) Weed killing is an ongoing process. August and September were unseasonally wet, too, and we continue to have some rainy days and warm, sunny spring days in October. The weeds love this weather

THE WILLY WAG TAILS ARE NESTING OUT THE BACK

For years the willy wag tails have built nests in the back garden. Sometimes we know where they are and other years we can’t see them. If we get too near their nest they swoop close to your face. A sudden stripe of black and white and the flap of little wings and you know to move away!

I was digging in the garden a few years ago and something bit me on the heel. Looked down to see a defiant willy wag tail furiously wagging his tail at me. I think he hoped for worms as he began pecking at the newly dug soil when I stepped back.

We know when the nest are under construction as we see the willy wag tails tearing coir from the mat at the French doors. They pluck parts bare! I’ve found discarded nests in an olive tree and in roses over an arch and the coir is carefully integrated with small twigs. The tiny nests are lined with softer materials like leaves and hair from our dog

there’s fresh local asparagus

Suddenly the green grocers have bundles of fresh, locally grown asparagus. It is a perennial, so it comes up again every year. Traditionally harvested by a hand held knife some European countries are experimenting with harvesting machinery. To maintain peak freshness, asparagus is harvested at night. Asparagus is best eaten soon after picking.

I try to buy the thin ones as thicker asparagus can be a bit tough. Our favourite way to eat them is trim the ends, steam the asparagus, place it on the plate, drizzle with butter or Hollandaise sauce and top with a poached egg, parsley, salt and ground pepper. Quick lunch or dinner.

I microwave the asparagus now! I know, I took a while to try it, too, but now it’s the only way to go. Trim the spears, moisten a length of four sheets of paper towel folded in half, lay the spears in a single layer and roll the paper up to make a cylinder. Microwave for 2 minutes, check, you may have to do a minute more for thicker spears. I poach the egg in the microwave, too. (here) Actually, I made the Hollandaise sauce there, as well, but that’s a bit trickier.

other spring things

I’ve taken out the rye sourdough starter/mother and fed it. Left it in a warm place for a day. It bubbled and smelt yeasty, so I’ve made the sponge to start two loaves of sourdough rye bread. I’ve been buying bread as it’s been very wet and cold, but now it’s warmer. It takes two days to make the bread. Why do I bother? This dense loaf is very filling and has only natural ingredients. It also tastes wonderful although it may be an acquired taste!

The starter is added to flour, water, molasses and a pinch of salt to make dense, richly flavoured and very filling bread.