by Julia | May 30, 2022 | General
Choko Sechium edule. Is this highly underrated prolific producer of fruit on rampant vines a weed, a fruit or a vegetable? Choko vines grow rapidly, scrambling and covering their support. I watched with curiosity as long searching tendrils appeared over the fence...
by Julia | Apr 25, 2022 | General
Oxtongue, or bristly oxtongue Helminthotheca echioides (formerly Picris echioides) commands respect. I got to know several of these plants when I lived at the farm on Belk Road South that popped up in my potted plant area. When I really studied their form I found...
by Julia | Apr 5, 2022 | General
Have you tried adding edible flowers to your dishes since my last article? This month I’ll introduce a few more edible flowers. It’s exciting to learn that flowers we love to grow in our gardens turn out to be delicacies in our food and drinks as well as visually...
by Julia | Mar 8, 2022 | General
Chlorophyll is something we take for granted but it’s abundant all around us giving plants their green colour. It is an essential component of photosynthesis allowing plants to absorb energy from light. Then when we eat green leaves we get the benefit of that energy...
by Julia | Feb 22, 2022 | General
The beauty and fragrance of flowers have always drawn humans in nourishing our senses. Increasingly we see a trend to use colourful flowers to brighten and make food very attractive. This though is far from a new idea. Ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese herbalists...
by Julia | Jan 28, 2022 | General
I’ve only just learned that this month’s feature ‘weed’ is edible. Ivy leaved toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis) has a number of other names such as Kenilworth Ivy (because it covered the walls of Kenilworth Castle in the UK), Oxford Ivy, Mother of Thousands or Wandering...
