March through the Senses
Bird songs, olfactory walks, and taking a moment to taste the new season
One week of March left!
Engaging our senses is a great way to find grounding when life is throwing us punches. Here are three ways to “get sensory” right now.
1. Listen in the morning for bird sounds (~5 minutes or less)
After you wake up and get the essentials out of the way, pour a hot drink and step outdoors or open the windows.
Close your eyes, and listen to what the birds are saying right now.
If you haven’t already downloaded the Merlin Bird ID this is a great time of year to give it a try.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, it’s as simple as opening it up and hitting the record button, and the matches will start to appear.
Depending on where you live, there’s a fairly good chance you’ll see robins, sparrows, chickadees, or perhaps warblers or finches show up on your morning song list.
You can click on the birds listed to find a variety of different kinds of calls for both juveniles and adults.
This app can help you hone your own listening skills - and perhaps make it easier to match what you see with what you hear.
2. Explore the scents of spring blossoms, herbs, and dirt on sensory smells walk (~20 minutes)
The trees have begun to bloom in many parts of the northern hemisphere, creating an olfactory experience that can pack a real punch with some species (like magnolias or less pleasantly, those pesky bradford pears).
Even in places where the flowers have yet to open up, the smell of fresh earth and herbs is stronger now that the temperatures have warmed up.
Step out the door over your lunch time or after work or on the weekend, and take short walk to explore the smells of early spring.
And remember, they won’t be like this a month from now. These are the scents of the beginnings of the spring season.
3. Poke around in your garden….or visit a market, farm, or store to find and taste the earliest spring greens and herbs (~1 hour or more if you cook with your discoveries)
Perennial herbs such as garlic chives, oregano, mint, and thyme, are beginning to sprout in gardens and yards everywhere.
Nothing seems to characterize “spring” dishes more their burst of bright flavors.
If you don’t have a garden of your own, this is a great time to explore these and other early spring flavors with a trip to the a market, farm stand, or just to the produce section in your grocery store.
Asparagus, spring alliums, and rhubarb area all beginning to show up.
It’s just the time to break out of the winter blues with new flavors, and perhaps try a new or favorite recipe you tucked away last spring.
Drop a note in the comments below. What’s on your sensory radar right now? Any first tastes (or smells or sounds) of spring that are getting you excited for the months ahead?