my dad surprised me with a hedgehog the other night — my favourite! it's never easy to bite into one though, i always get rid of the eyes first... the inside is made from cake and pastry leftovers and whatnot, it's dense and cocoa-flavoured, sometimes there's rum or other liquor. this is the fancier version, the 'potato' one is just a lump, sometimes with a dusting of cocoa powder on top. as a child i always had a potato pastry and never could quite finish one, they used to be huge. in the cafe my family frequented, which sadly quit business a few years ago, they always had bits of meringue and other indentifiable cake parts in them. reuse and recycle, indeed.
this was the beginnings of dinner. first asparaguses of the year... so incredibly tasty. i like to roll them on a hot pan with just a smidgen of oil. oregano, purple giant hyssop and bistort i just stir-fried with some frozen veggies, sprinkled the chopped-up chives on top and that was it. rhubarb and mint got turned into dessert, again just boiled in sugared water until tender and layered with plain yoghurt. i can't get enough of it.
goatweed, that wild leafy border in the photo, is edible too (and quite tasty) but unfortunately i can't stomach it at all. but that doesn't stop me from picking and enjoying the sprouts every now and then anyway. i'm hoping to grow tolerant one day. they are so abundant in the garden.
these are fermenting raspberry leaves. i didn't have a small enough jar handy, so i covered the crumpled up leaves with a plastic bag filled with water. the idea is to keep the air out and the juices in. after a few days, when the leaves have turned dark, i will dry them. raspberry leaf is one of the best herbs for me, it's calming and eases menstruation. it tastes quite nice too, especially when prepared this way. there is no shortage of this one, either.
the raspberry bushes need some trimming and organizing, but so does everything else around here. it's really overwhelming. i have all the time in the world to tackle the tasks, but not the strength. these spaghetti arms are no match to secret garden here. we don't have any machinery besides the lawnmower, and don't really know the neighbours well enough to ask for favors. there are ditches to be dug and trees to fell. and roofs to repair.
even though there is nowhere i'd rather be at the moment, a part of me is so terrified of the decay and desolation that it makes me want to run away and never ever return.
