Michael and I spent part of this sunny afternoon picking dandelion flowers. I have mad respect for anyone who earns a living by stoop labor.

Three gallons of flower blossoms. They smell so sweet, like springtime in a bucket. We now have them steeping in boiling water, the first step in making wine.

Michael finished processing the last of the dandelion greens we gathered several days ago. We had less than a week between when the greens showed and when they started to blossom.

Soaking in water to rinse off dirt and keep them fresh. They last several days after picking if you keep them wet and cool.

We sliced them off below ground when gathering them. Digging the entire root would have left too many potholes in our yard! You can see where the root meets the stems. That is where we trim.

If you trim too much, the leaves fall apart and you lose the crown. Here, the brown of the root is gone but the crown remains.

Trimmed crowns sizzling in butter. Olive oil works well too. They leave a wonderful fresh taste in the mouth, like artichoke hearts.

The leaves can be eaten as a salad or cooked and used any way you would spinach.

Dandelion imposters exist; most are edible. My mother wondered why she couldn’t find crowns on hers.

On close inspection the prickles show: prickly lettuce it is! Edible. May be more astringent than dandelions. And no crowns!

Pink anenomies. Not edible, but they just began blooming.

Farmers are beginning to plant. This is a no till field.

The local lore says you plant corn when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear. Michael is still clearing a garden area for our popcorn.

Slow and steady gets rid of quack grass.

Speaking of quacks, our ducklings started hatching last week. We have 25 as of today with more on the way. We don’t keep our different breeds separate, so we have mutt ducks.

I finished weeding the asparagus garden today. We planted asparagus 20 years ago. Every spring and summer we weeded it, as Clyde and Irene didn’t. Then we left the area for 8 years and we came back to sod. I cured the problem without having to start… — I finished weeding the asparagus garden today. We planted asparagus 20 years ago. Every spring and summer we weeded it, as Clyde and Irene didn’t. Then we left the area for 8 years and we came back to sod. I cured the problem without having to start over by piling on mulch. The grass sends its roots into the mulch, where I can pull them up in long streamers. The asparagus remains in the dirt, mostly undisturbed. We shall feast on asparagus now that dandelion season is over.