I’ve been spending a lot of time outside lately, planting a garden, checking animals and getting my yard into shape. I’ve absolutely loved the sweet smells of spring. I think all of the moisture without big freezes has given us the most beautiful and fragrant crop of lilacs in my memory, they’ve literally perfumed all of Northern Nevada. Our wild iris are up and making every natural meadow just magical, and all of the grasses growing at warp speed are making the ranch smell amazing.
I’ve been enjoying putting in vegetable plants this spring. I know, using nursery plants is a short cut…but with our ridiculously short growing season, they are pretty necessary.
I put in some tomatoes and the smell of the plants in flower is simply intoxicating.
Earlier in the week, I picked up a flat of the most beautiful strawberries I’ve ever seen from a roadside stand in Auburn, California. My sister and I agreed that they looked like small apples and smelled and tasted even better. Pure springtime goodness.
I know, some might think that it’s a pretty dry subject to be talking about the smells of springtime; but, I think walking up to a lilac bush in bloom and smelling all that sweet perfume, listening to the bees, and seeing all those beautiful blossoms with a dozen hummingbirds swooping in and out of the branches is a lot like a perfect Nevada sunset. You just never know how many you’ll get to enjoy, and each one is pure magic.
I took a little drive out to take a look at higher pastures the other day and decided to pick wild garlic. I love to wash and freeze the whole plant and then make compound butter with it. Those beautiful little purple blossoms are just gorgeous and so fragrant. Think I grabbed about 150 and enjoyed every minute of my little walk about.
Long story short…get outside and breathe deeply. It is SO good for body, mind and soul. And, if you get a chance to put your nose into a bunch of lilacs, avoid the bees, but savor every bit of the experience.
Kris Stewart is a rancher in Paradise Valley, Nevada.