Hardin Brothers Landscaping

Warm Weather & Wildflowers

Spring is finally here and with it comes warmer weather, rain, and wildflowers. One of the prettiest times to visit Amber Ranches is in the spring when our creeks and ponds are full, the trees are blooming and putting out new foliage, and wildflowers blanket our forest floors. Not only that, but there are a variety of edible plants that can be harvested and eaten.

Branch Lettuce

Ramps (wild leeks) can still be found in the woods this time of year, but April and May also bring forth other wild edibles to supplement the springtime diets of mountain folks. In modern times, these wild plants from the forest aren’t nearly as important to people as in olden times, but many mountain folks still harvest and eat these springtime delicacies.

My grandparents explained to me that in the old days, there wasn’t anything fresh to eat all through the winter. They grew big gardens and would preserve all their extra produce by drying, canning, and pickling everything. By doing so, they would have enough food to get them through the winter when nothing could be grown. Fresh greens, onions and other frost-hardy produce from their spring gardens couldn’t be harvested until May and June. Therefore, wild food from the woods in March and April would be their first fresh meals since the end of the previous summer’s harvest.

As a kid, my grandparents would take me up to the slow moving headwaters of Broad Branch to harvest “branch lettuce.” Branch lettuce can only be found high up on the mountain on the edges of our slow moving streams. Lower down on the mountain, the current is too swift for branch lettuce to grow.

If you don’t own property on a branch, then you’ll have ask permission to look for branch lettuce on someone else’s property. There is also plenty of branch lettuce up on government land too. For that, you don’t need a permit.

To harvest branch lettuce, simply cut off the leaves of the plant. Leave the roots and the part of the plant that holds the tiny white seeds so that there will be more in future years. The leaves can be eaten raw in a salad or “killed” (lightly cooked down with hog grease or any kind of oil). A lot of people add vinegar to it as well. Traditionally, our family bakes it in a big pot with hog grease and ramps to eat with cornbread and soup beans (pinto beans).

Morel Mushrooms

Morel mushrooms are another springtime delicacy from the woods. Morels grow out in the woods during the spring and generally pop up during warm weather after a cold spell. I’ve had luck finding morels on our HOA roadsides, on the edge of fields, and just about anywhere out in the woods. If you can’t find any on your property, you can always go look on government land. Unlike ramps, ginseng, and a few other plants from the woods, morels and branch lettuce don’t need government permits.

There are a variety of ways to preserve and cook morels. I have generally eaten them fresh by frying them in butter, but this year I actually grilled them outside and they were really good! Morels must be cooked in order to get rid of toxins.

Gravel Loads

Each year the HOA budgets for how many loads of gravel/road-bond are put out at Amber Ranches. The areas that receive the most gravel are typically lower down on the mountain where there is more vehicle traffic, but every so often a load is needed in an area that hasn’t had gravel in many years.

One of those areas where gravel was needed was the red, metal building down on Broad Branch Road. This building is owned by Shirley Hughes and the HOA pays her monthly rent to store the tractor and all the other equipment used to maintain Amber Ranches. The gravel area in front of the red building is also used as a parking area for Amber Ranches residents. If you or your guests need to park a vehicle or trailer at the parking lot, please park on the far left or right sides of the red building where the new loads of gravel were spread.