An Edible Landscape

Image via Wikipedia

Rhubarb: If you have never seen this broad leafed plant with its edible pinkish stalks, you are missing out. There are various varieties out there, but one thing they all have in common is hardiness once established and a delicious sourness to compliment berries of all sorts in desserts, pies and breads. I have many a fond memory of picking the stocks and sucking on them with my brothers, then watching each other’s faces pucker. Caution: The leaves are poisonous.

Garlic: Old fashioned varieties will seed out in late summer and create new sets to plant on the stalk. Letting them fall to the ground will ensure new garlic next year, even if you pull up all the original. If you don’t pull up all your garlic, it will spread from the segmented bulb, surviving extremely cold winters and very hot summers. The tall grassy tops look great as a medium height in your garden and when established allow little else to grow. The new, young leaves can be added to soups and stews for a lovely flavor and a bit of color in early Spring.

Walking onions: An old fashioned, small bulbed onion of mild sharpness, walking onions will also bulb on the flowering stalk, allowing new onions to be added to the old each fall. They are also very hearty, the tops very tasty both fresh and cooked, and the small bulbs are delightful with roast chicken. They will also grow from the same bulb each year if left in the ground. They are of medium height and quite interesting in the summer with the crazy bulbed onions growing more onions right from the stalk of the parent plant!

Berries: No matter where you live, in the continental US, there are native berries, even in Alaska. Find what grows best in your area from a local gardening store, but I have to say that I love a good blackberry. Growing wild on the roadsides and in fields, they can be hard to transplant with a native variety, but they will do well in your yard if they do well in the ditch fifteen feet from your yard. My current favorite are the unnatural Tayberry, a hybrid between the raspberry and blackberry. They are extremely hearty and are very heavy bearing. They spread and climb like most brambles, but tolerate drought very well. They fill a space with beautiful tight pink flowers, delicately shaped leaves, and bright red berries from early to late summer. I always have more than I can eat and save a lot in the freezer.

Perennial herbs: Perennial means that they come up after planting, year after year. Sage is my favorite, not only for complimenting many recipes, but having a lovely stock of purple flowers and fuzzy broad leaves of a unique shade of green. I also love a variety of mints, which flavor teas and other dishes and have healthful properties. Peppermint is said to sooth your colds and help you breath easier, and catnip (a type of mint) is not only a favorite of the felines but is known to have mild sedative like qualities. Plant mint in an area you don’t mind being taken over, or in a raised bed, as most varieties will run rampant in a couple of years.

Trees with edible fruit and nuts: A good apple, a lovely pear, the perfect pecan. Whatever your passion, if you have a yard with a little bit of space, and you have the time to care for it, plant a tree. Myself, I have little time, and find that nuts are my best bet. A shag-bark hickory not only is native to this region and will therefore support a variety of wild life, but it will also support myself and my family in the fall! See the Arbor Day Foundation website at

http://www.arborday.org/index.cfm

for what trees will work best in your area, or see your local gardening store or greenhouse.A yard of natural beauty that goes to my table is a joy beyond compare. It helps to sustain the soil and groundwater as I won’t be using any chemicals or fertilizers or pesticides to keep a ‘green’ lawn. Weeds are kept down by planting things that don’t allow them purchase, or by pulling the few that appear. Mowing is reduced by both the space that must be maintained and the time it takes. Watering can be reduced by taking advantage of hearty drought resistant plants that will be later consumed by your family.

Whatever reasons sound best to you, an edible landscape can be a time and money saver, as well as joy to feed your spirit and your body.

Other articles by me:

• http://www.gomestic.com/Consumer-Information/The-Benefits-of-a-Reel-Lawnmower.715129
• http://www.gomestic.com/Gardening/The-Joy-of-a-Little-Garden.777267
• http://www.quazen.com/Recreation/Crafts/How-to-Make-Walnut-Ink.297015
• http://www.gomestic.com/Cooking/The-Hickory-Nut-Yum-yum.351909