Harbingers of Spring
Spring days are getting longer, weather milder and it seems that everything around here is growing at an exponential rate– particularly the forest understory and some early wildflowers. “Fairy slippers ” are a native calypso orchid that produces a single, beautiful purple flower.
These dainty plants prefer wooded slopes that experienced historic burns and we have that habitat here. We find these flowers in the company of another spring icon, the morel mushroom. These tasty mushrooms are around for only a short time in spring and searching for them is akin to an easter egg hunt that can be alot of fun. Woody and rich in flavor, fresh morel’s are excellent quartered, sauteed in butter and served over a fresh venison steak.