May
The hawthorn, also known as the May tree, by the middle of this month, will be dripping with blossom.
May is a time of returning life and rapid growth everywhere you look. Wildflowers adorn the hedgerows; trees are bursting into leaf including a tree that’s strongly associated with May. The hawthorn, also known as the May tree, by the middle of this month, will be dripping with blossom. There is an old nursery rhyme which speaks of ‘gathering nuts in May.’ Nuts in May you may exclaim! What on earth does that mean. Well, no one has a definitive answer, with one idea being that the word nuts actually mean knots or posies of flowers of the blossom, which are picked as the days warm up and at May Day celebrations.
According to the Countryside charity CPRE, “the young leaves can be eaten when they emerge. Their nutty flavour earns the hawthorn another nickname: ‘bread and cheese tree’.”
CPRE continues,” ‘Along with its culinary uses, this hedgerow shrub has cultural links, one of which is a well-known legend relating to the town of Glastonbury in Somerset. It’s said that Joseph of Arimathea, who buried Christ after the crucifixion, came to Britain and visited Glastonbury Tor with some disciples. He thrust his staff into Wearyall Hill, and the area sprouted into a hawthorn.