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In January the rains came, setting a record for the month. Standing water along roadways did not disappear; trees had a big drink and wildflowers yet to come will be prolific and beautiful to see.
That's just like it use to be. Thirty years ago the coastal Lowcountry lived up to its wetland reputation with lagoons and wetlands providing holding places that prevented runoff.
The rains of this past January and February gave gardeners a reprieve from watering winter flowering plants and a few surprises. Mosses appeared along walkways, ivy and fig vine clung to mossy bricks, all manner of interesting fungi popped up -- mushrooms and toadstools from the ground and pinkish-gray growths on tree trunks.
Spanish moss blew onto trees not previously decorated. Seemingly overnight, a dogwood tree planted in my yard 30 years ago has acquired a shroud-like appearance with Spanish moss hanging from most of its branches.
All that rain made for lots of cloudy days.
It was a wonderful surprise to have early spring flowering bulbs show their colors right on schedule. Purple grape hyacinths; pale yellow, very fragrant narcissus; and Southern snowflakes began to bloom in mid-February. The bulbs of freesia, amaryllis, oxalis and ground orchids are not yet flowering but leafing up and getting ready.
Many nights of temperatures hovering around freezing have caused most perennials to look tacky. There are surprises here, too. The herb plants that I call "pretend perennials" were not protected on frosty nights and remain green and growing. Parsley, chives, sage, lemon balm, coriander, thyme and rosemary were cut and used in the kitchen throughout the winter.
HERBS AND THE SEA
There are fish in the waters of the Lowcountry that are caught, sold and served up fresh in our restaurants and markets; you just have to know where to find them. At the February meeting of The Hilton Head Island Herb Society, members learned where to find the fish and how to cook it.
They also were given a look back at what it was like to live on the north end of the island in the 1950s when Tanya Hudson, daughter of Benny Hudson who built Hudson's Seafood House in 1968, gave society members the lowdown on today's seafood market.
"Ninety percent of the seafood we buy today comes from overseas," Tanya said. "It is frozen, sometimes more than once, and treated with sulfide compounds to preserve it, before it reaches our markets.
"Shrimp farming in China is huge. Shrimp in the ponds are often treated with antibiotics to keep infection down before they are frozen."
Tanya owns and operates Benny's Seafood Market on Squire Pope Road. Going there is a taste of yesteryear -- the boats, the dock, and yes, the fresh fish. Tanya marries fish with herbs; Benny Hudson also did and made his own blends to use in the restaurant.
Try this recipe from Tanya:
