A Wild Winter Garden Indoors: Susan Tyler Hitchcock on Foraging Through the Cold
by Susan Tyler Hitchcock
Most weeds don't make it through winter.
They need warm rain and steady sun.
Frozen soil inhibits root growth;
snowfalls discourage sprouts.
Even watercress, which usually positions itself in flowing water, gets hurt by a freeze.
If you live in an area where the snow falls over several months,
you know that small sigh of sadness when you go out to gather wild things,
and frost has taken over.
This year I've been cultivating weeds indoors to ease those winter doldrums.
I've got Chicory, Dandelion, and Poke Roots potted in buckets in a kitchen corner.
I've got Watercress stretching out of a pot standing in freshwater.
I've got Chickweed daily going to seed three months early on the window sill.
While my wild Winter Garden doesn't provide the abundance of the outdoors,
it grows leaves enough to garnish winter meals
with sprigs of wild flavor, nutrients, and color.
Today's Garden words were featured on the podcast:
Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all.
