Harvesting Muscari
What is tedious is the harvest: I started it alone last week as my farm employee won’t do it. You need to get down on your knees and tug the stem firmly yet ever-so-gently near the base, until it disconnects and slides out from the bulb. This requires you to wiggle your fingers in between the leaves so as to pull out only the stem with the flower, leaving the bulb and greens in place. This may not sound so bad, but when there are hundreds, and the ground is wet, even your rain pants eventually get soaked through and your back gets oh-so-tired, no matter how many times you switch up your positions. But muscari are beautiful and have a sweet, soft fragrance and so I can’t resist growing them.
