i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
A lot of sources will tell you that Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is only reliably perennial from zone 9 upwards, zone 8 pushing it, and zone 7 should be wintered indoors. This is where a location’s microclimate as well as choosing cold hardy varieties come into …
Italian parsley is grown as an annual/biennial culinary, which means that it usually dies in its second year after it sets seed. That doesn’t make it suitable for my particular application of a perennial food forest so sometimes I decline to grow it, even though …
I was so excited when I saw a goji (Lycium chinense or Lycium barbarum) plant for sale at my local nursery, ladened with fruit. The first time I tried it, after the initial burst of sweetness, it became so bitter I spat it out, and …
This is the story of how I started out with one horseradish plant (Armoracia rusticana) and ended up with over 20. Horseradish is one of the few condiments that I can’t do without when eating raw clams or oysters. It’s also a delicious compliment to …
Lemon Balm (Melissa Officionalis) is a perennial herb part of the mint family with very similar growth habits. It’s hardy and invasive if left to its own devices, so like my mint, it’s been relegated to the invasive herb box where it holds its own …
Mint, of the genus mentha, is one of the herbs that I always have on hand. Several different species exist, although I usually only keep one or two (currently, I have peppermint and chocolate mint.) It’s probably the least picky herb I have had the …
I love having an extensive herb garden because I can just go outside and pinch some off, without having to worry about where to store large quantities of it (and, if I don’t use it up soon enough, the flavors may fade.) Oregano (Origanum Vulgare) …
Figs (ficus carica) is a fruit that we often come across in higher end supermarkets, expensive, but oh so delicious. We all have that grandpa/uncle/old neighbor next door who tell tales of their fig trees producing bountiful fruit, but it gets a little daunting when …
Celery is something I don’t usually touch, having been traumatized by too much celery dumplings as a kid. However, occasionally recipes call for it, and because I don’t like it, I never have it in my fridge even when I need it. In comes Lovage, …
Haskaps, or Honeyberry, or Edible Honeysuckle (lonicera caerulea) is part of the honeysuckle family (and not all honeysuckles are edible) that produces fruit very similar to blueberries. It’s cold hardy as hell (some are hardy all the way to zone 2!) and unlike blueberries, tolerate …