Category Archives: foraging
More and more people are discovering lemongrass
When we think of herbs, usually culinary uses come to mind first. We generally learn about other values later. Lemongrass is a fine example and the name fits. You can’t miss the lemon scent. Lemongrass contains chemicals used to repel … Continue reading
Basil is probably the most popular herb for gardeners.
For the last few weeks I’ve profiled perennial herbs. No herb garden would be complete without adding this annual one. Basil is probably grown by more gardeners than any other herbs. There are so many different types and cultivars of … Continue reading
Chives provide many pluses to your herb garden
Many people like the pungent flavor onions and garlic provide. The problem is the flavor is often too strong. Enter chives, which can be regular (similar to onion) or garlic types. It seems no baked potato is complete without sour … Continue reading
Thyme is a versatile garden herb.
I think thyme is one of the most underused garden herbs. Of course thyme is a broad term as there are dozens of thyme species and even more cultivars within them. Some are upright. Others are creeping. All have culinary … Continue reading
Is there a more versatile plant than sage?
A discussion of perennial herbs wouldn’t be complete without including sage. There may not be a more versatile plant in the garden. Mostly that’s because there are so many different types of sage. They’re great to have in your garden … Continue reading
Bull thistle sure is tough like a bull
You’ve probably seen that tall spiny plant with purple flowers along the roadside. Sometimes the flowers are yellow. It’s called bull thistle and related to the artichoke. Playing ball in a pasture field teaches kids to learn to identify this … Continue reading
Confessions of a potato snob
My father was a plant pathologist specializing with potatoes. He was a private pilot and one of the pioneers at using aerial infrared photography to detect late blight in potatoes. Some cultivars were more susceptible than others. Since potatoes paid … Continue reading
Pound for pound smallmouth bass are tough fighting fish
I’ve heard people say that four pound smallmouths fight harder than eight pound largemouth bass. I agree. They’ll usually leap and shake first. If that doesn’t work they dive to the bottom and try to get under something. They don’t … Continue reading
Aronia is a native super-fruit
A few years ago I wrote a column about chokeberries. They were common in the places I picked blueberries in Maine. Huckleberries were too, and they’re great, so maybe they can be a future column. The Genus name for chokeberry … Continue reading
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