Treasures in The Yard

As a child, I would always look forward to the annual blooming of our backyard cherry tree. I loved to see the tiny green orbs turn into red juicy cherries. The cherries never got to be very big (probably because we couldn't wait to pick them) except for one time when we went on a weeklong vacation and returned to find robust, almost-purple cherries on the sprawling tree. The tree sadly got chopped down years ago as it developed some kind of disease, but I am glad to have the memory of it.

There was also the gooseberry bush and the rhubarb plant growing on the side of the house. These were kind of weird-tasting but not unflavorful. My mom would sometimes make pies out of these. I thought it was interesting how the gooseberries were so prickly on the outside.

Stomach bugs went around yearly or more at our house, as we were a family of ten. When this happened I always remember open windows and the smell of Lysol co-mingling with the smell of sickness. My mother was never the most enthusiastic housekeeper but without fail the strong antiseptic cleaner would come out during this time. There was also, thankfully, the natural comfort of the spearmint leaves that grew beside a bush near our front door. Sometimes we would chew on these and they would soothe our stomachs and sometimes not, but it was always fun to experience their bitter, sparkly flavor.

And in our backyard there were honeysuckle vines that we loved getting the honeysuckle sap out of. I am lucky to have both white and red honeysuckle growing where I live now. It really is fragrant and beautiful.

There might be wonderful edible things growing in your yard. Just make sure they are safe for you to eat and you know exactly what they are. Happy searching!