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season: early-spring
section: putting up
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- the shelves are at their thinnest. finish the last stored apples and sweet potatoes before they soften.
- wild greens are returning. dock, dandelion, and chickweed will blanch and freeze, or pack in vinegar with garlic and salt.
- the first chives, mint, and sorrel come back early. chop and freeze them in oil cubes for soups deeper in the year.
- if ramps grow nearby, pickle them in salt and vinegar. the brine that's left over is gold.
- check the seals on last year's jars. soft lids and dimpled tops go to the front of the shelf to be eaten soon.
- start a new cider vinegar from apple scraps and a splash of last year's mother. by midsummer it will be sharp enough to pickle with.