2.28.2012

Forcing Forsythia


I wait for this day all winter long—the day when the forsythia branches are ready to force into bloom. Usually I do this by the beginning of January, but the buds were slow to form this year. Every few days I'd check the shrub, and last weekend decided it was finally time. I cut a big bunch, and arranged them in an old pottery pitcher, and set them on the farm table in the kitchen. Within a day, I could see the start of yellow at the tips of the buds, and a couple of days later, they were completely opened up.

This week I'll cut another armful of branches and bring them inside. I like to harvest forsythia in stages, so I'll have these bright yellow blooms in my farm kitchen for the longest possible time. Just looking at them makes me think of spring, gardening, and spending more time outdoors. And doesn't the forsythia look wonderful in my yellow kitchen?

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