I have also been using some of the new spring growth for eating. One of the main plants that I eat at this time of year is Alexanders. It grows along the roadside in the Isle of Man but I have a well established patch outside the door of the greenhouse. I use the leaves chopped up in salads and also in stir fries or as a steamed vegetable. It has a slight celery taste if slightly oily. I use it in bulk as it grows so luxuriantly. In fact, because of the mild winter we have had I have been using it for the past four months, and it has not suffered in the heavy frosts we had last week. It produces large black seeds in the summer which apparently can be ground up as a pepper but I have not tried that yet.
Previously I have nibbled on the flowers of Columbine while walking round the garden, they are very sweet, but today I tried eating the leaves. They are my new favourite leaf to eat, peppery to begin with but followed by a lingering sweetness. Above left Alexanders right Columbine.
I purchased a Hemerocalis plant last year (Day lily} and am intending to get a clump of them established, slugs permitting. The flowers are edible. Pick the buds in the morning and flowers at the end of the day. They have thick, sweet, crunchy petals which provide good substance in a salad where they are eaten raw. They can also be battered and deep fried or stuffed. The buds taste like French beans.
Soon it will be time to try out some emerging shoots such as hops and bamboo. The young shoots of hops are like asparagus and can be cooked slightly and used with a sauce if so desired. The shoots of bamboo are cut close to the ground and split to reveal the tender core. This can be then stir fried in many different dishes. Cutting the emerging shoots also prevents unwanted spread.
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