August is the busiest month in the grassland of Inner Mongolia as there will be so many different festivals for the entire month. Most farmers will put up some extra tents or “yurt” as they call it, for the tourists. What I mean by ”some” is more like a couple of hundreds or so.

July is just a perfect time, right before the domestic tourists start to flood in,  perfectly green all round  with the blossoming shrubbery.  I love exploring the wild florals that are scattered practically everywhere. All kinds of wonderful fragrances are in the air. Summer fragrance. Wild flowers. Some smell like rosemary,  other smell like lavender - now I have them both potted at the corner of in my livingroom   *hopefully they stay alive*     

 David collecting wild spring onions – with a cake fork!

We were invited once for a dinner at a farmer’s home some time ago and I remember the wild spring onion dish. It was such a simple dish but with the taste that I apparently will never forget. The farmer’s wife proudly explained every single dish: the boiled mutton, steamed buns, some unidentified stir fried vegetables and wild spring onions which caught my curiousity instantly.  I’ve never seen ones before….   and there they were, sprouting wildly on a hill where we spread our picnic blanket.

It was amazing…  The stalks are much tougher & have a distinct sharp fragrance than the regular ones. See the purplish tinge at the bottom of their stalk? I think it’s rather appealing…..

Meanwhile, in the distant, a local villager digging into the ground pulling out roots of a particular plant with yellow flower. Collecting them for medicine, I suppose.

I love summer in the grassland. Beautiful weather and sunshine, thick cushy grass to lay down on, cool breeze… and those smells. Whoa, I would never forget those gorgeous smells….