Fall comes quickly, and within a few weeks cooler temperatures and less sunshine will be status quo. The best way to kickstart a cozy autumn is in the garden, and planting a variety of colorful fall annuals and perennials is key. This article includes a round-up of ten fall-inspired plants, several of which are also edible.
The beginning of autumn is an incredible abundant time of harvest, and many plants are just coming into the height of their fruiting. This includes many plants that would normally be considered “weeds.” Many of these plants, however, are performing important ecosystem services in addition to being beneficial to humans. Get out your wild edibles guidebook and go hunting for these three plants you can find in early fall.
Love-lies-bleeding flowers belong to the family Amaranthaceae, commonly known as the Amaranth family of the genus Amaranthus L. or pigweed P. There are forty-nine species in the genus that includes the Amaranthus caudatus L., also known as foxtail amaranth P. The plant is native to the tropical regions throughout the world and there is well documented use of it as a staple food for the native peoples for millennia.
Spring is always an exciting time of year, especially for the local food eater.
Squash blossoms are flowers of squash that are still growing. They spoil easily and are difficult to find fresh or at all, depending on where you live.
Summer is in full swing and so are the squash plants in the garden. By now, most of us have an abundance of summer squash and all of our neighbors and friends have loads of squash as well.
What to do with all of the lovely summer squash fruit?
One way to utilize squash is to harvest and eat the flowers! Squash blossoms, generally used from the zucchini plant, are a delicacy that has been cooked for centuries by many different cultures.
Our concept of food runs the gamut from roots to genetically engineered food. While some may consider one more appetizing than the other, there is a clear boundary between edible and poisonous. So when a friend of mine loved his meal so much while dining out that he decided to finish off the plate by eating the decorative flowers, it got me thinking about our concept of edible. Yes, flowers are edible. But how often do we make a stop at the grocery store for some marigolds or pick up pansies for dinner?