The bleeding heart that keeps on beating

The first time I saw the bleeding heart plant it was poking its head up through a pile of cedar shakes that the roofers had thrown on it at the side of the garage. This was in 2006. I knew it would not survive the roofers, so I moved it to a back corner of the house. It lost its bloom and I thought it would soon die.

The next spring it bloomed in its new spot, but I had planted it in a bad location. Even though I piled rocks around it, I kept hitting it with the water hose. I sheared it off at the ground with a jerk of the hose one day, but I decided to take another chance and move it to the corner of the patio. In 2008 it didn't bloom, so I forgot about it -- until a few days ago.

To my surprise it is thriving at the corner of the patio. I'm going to give it a break and not move it this year. It just hope my old ticker is dependable as this plant.

We're talking turkey here

This old fellow (or gal) was cleaning up the seed around the bird feeder when Betty went out to snap its picture. Camera shy, he ambled down the driveway.

We have seen more wild turkey this spring than ever. We hear them gobbling in the woods in the morning and evening. We had to wait on one to cross the road recently in front of our house, the only "traffic jam" we've ever had in Deerfield.

Maybe the word is out on the turkey grape vine that Vince is planting a garden?

Preparation of morels

Aficionados of morels say the best time to eat them is when they are fresh, but we wanted to save our small cache for a special occasion.

The two choices of preserving morels are drying and freezing. Since our oven would not set for 110 degrees, we decided to freeze them. Per instructions, we washed the morels in salt water, sliced them length-wise and dried them on paper towels. We then rolled the mushrooms in seasoned flour and quickly plopped them in the freezer on cookie sheets. The next morning we packaged them in a freezer bag.

We're searching recipe books and online sites. The best way may be just to sautee them with chives and eat them as a side dish. If anyone has a good morel recipe, please pass it on.

BULLETIN: Morels found in Deerfield!

Walking the dogs along the driveway this weekend, I happened to look down to my left to see a stately morel. (Photo at right). A morel is a rare mushroom found in some parts of Appalachia. The fungus is prized for its taste and texture. A quick look on Amazon told me that dried morels are selling for up to $440 a pound. (That's not a misprint).

I quickly scoured the decaying leaves and picked out 14 of the sponge-like beauties in a patch between the driveway and creek. The area was about 6 X 20 feet. Later, I made a diligent search along both sides of creek for about a quarter mile. No more morels to be found.

Morels are mysterious. They cannot be cultivated. They grow only where they want and they may or may not come back in the same spot next year no matter how carefully they are harvested. Research on the Internet tells us morels grow when redbud trees bloom. Ours are at their peak. In second photo, our granddaughter, Keaton Link, tries to figure out what kind of Popsicle her grandfather has given her.

The history of the morel is interesting. In Kentucky they are known as "dryland fish" because if you fillet one it resembles a fish in a frying pan. Another name is "hickory chickens." Stories abound about mountain folk subsisting on morels during the Great Depression. (Maybe they only grow when times are desperate.) West Virginians call them "molly moochers."

In parts of the United States and Europe, professional morel hunters search the woods for morels each spring. The hunters pay special attention to land that has been ravaged by forest fires. Morels apparently pop up two or three years after an area has been burned.

I'll have more about the harvesting and eating of morels in future posts.

A dog-wood Easter greeting

A tale of two cherry trees

My two Early Richmond cherry trees seem to have made it through the cold snap and downpours better than any of the newly planted fruits and berries, but they have strikingly different attributes.

The tree on the left has been full of beautiful blooms. The other one is not very pleasing to look at but the trunk is stocky and healthy looking. I noticed when I planted it that the roots were big and well developed.

I planted the trees closer than was recommended at the bottom of the hill so they could feed off each other and keep each other company. Possibly each will take something from the other.

The Early Richmond is a sweet and tart cherry. My books say cherry trees bear for many years if they are taken care of. That’s my plan.

Two fronts 12 hours apart

Two fronts moved through Deerfield today, one at 5 a.m. and one at 5 p.m. The first brought a half-inch of rain and the second promises even more. We can do without the high winds and tornadoes that have been part of the fronts across Tennessee. We have tender plants trying to get established.