Spring has finally arrived–the sun sets later and later, the days are warmer, and the rain and sunshine have made the grey city lush and green. Lilacs are blooming everywhere.

Yesterday I gathered a bag of dandelion heads, painstakingly pulled the leaves and stem off, and set the petals to steep in vodka. In a few weeks I’ll strain it, add sugar, and have a dandelion liqueur. When I left the house this morning, there were even more dandelions than yesterday. I’d like to pick some more and repeat the process sometime in the next couple of weeks before they all go to seed. I want to make dandelion wine eventually, but I have to start easy if I want to get anything done at all. Wine takes research, and possibly specialized equipment. All I had to buy for this project was a bottle of vodka.