singing in sIngIng In the garden Eat leeks in March and wild garlic in May, and all the year after physicians may play. - Old Welsh Rhyme Where the Wild Things Grow Text and art by Ginny Neil If you've been reading this column for any length of time, you've discovered that my favorite kind of garden tends itself. That's why I love early spring so much. Mother Nature is hosting her annual free food party. The first course is dandelion greens, gathered fresh and tender and served with a warm dressing of vinegar and eggs. My mother-in-law, Geneva, called dandelion greens her spring tonic. The first time she put them on the table I was pretty skeptical. In the city I was taught Then she told me that poke is poisonous and should be boiled a couple of times to remove the toxins before the final prep. 62 BlueRidgeCountry.com that anything that grew in your yard was toxic. I guess maybe with all the chemicals used on a lawn that's true, but apparently in the country almost anything green is fair game. One of my neighbors had a different spring tonic. She often asked us in early spring for permission to walk the edges of our cornfields to look for poke greens which grow in disturbed ground. She said that you should wear gloves when gathering and never gather leaves that are longer than six inches. Then she told me that poke is poisonous and should be boiled a couple of times to remove the toxins before the final prep. I have to say that I never got past the word "poisonous," so couldn't tell you whether the greens are good or not. Eat at your own risk. Ramps appear next. They are a cross between a wild onion and wild garlic and are visible as bright green patches on otherwise duff brown mountain slopes.http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com