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zeborahWhen I bought my house almost thirteen years ago it was largely on the strength of its rimu wood panelling, proximity to a bunch of bus routes, and established peach and plum trees. I soon transplanted a seedling born of a grapevine at my parents' house, and have slowly and surprisingly developed something of a vegetable garden, but through the years I've also discovered a number of food plants that have been happily growing for years without me ever having noticed.
(Note I don't count the rose hips. Partly because I always knew I had rose bushes, and partly because it's so much effort to turn them into food that I've only kindasorta bothered twice in my tenure.)
5. Button mushrooms (7 years after moving in)
These are super sporadic. Maybe they were just a fluke. I got two once (which, by the time I'd determined they were definitely button mushrooms and not highly toxic, weren't really that edible any more) and one more another time which I left hoping it would generate more. It hasn't yet. The latest mushrooms I found in that area had suspiciously pointy caps; I didn't touch them.
Grade: C-, needs to try harder
4. Fennel (13 years after moving in)
I think I've noticed the plant for a fair amount of time, I just always assumed it was a weed or something. But today I was on the verge of digging it out when I thought, Haha wouldn't it be funny if it was fennel? So I nibbled a frond and lo, it tasted of licorice. So now I need a whole bunch of recipes for fennel. Idk it seems more like flavouring than food but otoh it's there, so...
Grade: C+ I guess?
3. Lemons (5 years after moving in)
How do you just not notice a lemon tree? When some fool planted it between a silver birch and a plum tree and behind a climbing rose. I cut down the silver birch early on (I can't remember if there was any precipitating factor or just general recognition of the evils of silver birch) and after several years of trying to keep the climbing rose in check I just cut that back to the roots (several times, but after a few years it got the message) and behold, surprise lemon tree! Admittedly it's kind of a dwarf lemon tree since the plum tree's still overshadowing it. It suffers from black sooty mould and very reliably produces 2 (two) small lemons every year. This year I thought it was just one but then I found another, even smaller, one hiding behind a leaf.
Grade: B but it's a pity grade
2. Asparagus (8 years after moving in)
I'd never eaten fresh asparagus before, only from a can in asparagus rolls. And then one year I suddenly noticed asparagus popping its head out of the ground! When in season I get a few stalks every few days; I'd definitely eat more if there were more! Some years I snap it off and eat it then and there, raw; this year the compost heap is closer by and it's growing particularly thick so I'm enjoying it very-lightly boiled. It's so sweet!
Grade: A for quality
1. Elderberries (10 years after moving in)
I think I was reading an article in the newspaper about elderflower/elderberries when it occurred to me that the photo looked really familiar! It was in fact the same as that spindly tree with the ugly composite flowers! Part of the reason for the spindliness was it was close-abutting an equally large pittosporum; I got a company to remove that and they commented most people would remove the elder tree instead. Fools! Now I harvest large containers full of berries every year, keep them in my deep freeze, and use them in muffins or just as a fruit crumble year-round.
Grade: A++ for quality and quantity
Bets are now open for what I'll discover next!
(Note I don't count the rose hips. Partly because I always knew I had rose bushes, and partly because it's so much effort to turn them into food that I've only kindasorta bothered twice in my tenure.)
5. Button mushrooms (7 years after moving in)
These are super sporadic. Maybe they were just a fluke. I got two once (which, by the time I'd determined they were definitely button mushrooms and not highly toxic, weren't really that edible any more) and one more another time which I left hoping it would generate more. It hasn't yet. The latest mushrooms I found in that area had suspiciously pointy caps; I didn't touch them.
Grade: C-, needs to try harder
4. Fennel (13 years after moving in)
I think I've noticed the plant for a fair amount of time, I just always assumed it was a weed or something. But today I was on the verge of digging it out when I thought, Haha wouldn't it be funny if it was fennel? So I nibbled a frond and lo, it tasted of licorice. So now I need a whole bunch of recipes for fennel. Idk it seems more like flavouring than food but otoh it's there, so...
Grade: C+ I guess?
3. Lemons (5 years after moving in)
How do you just not notice a lemon tree? When some fool planted it between a silver birch and a plum tree and behind a climbing rose. I cut down the silver birch early on (I can't remember if there was any precipitating factor or just general recognition of the evils of silver birch) and after several years of trying to keep the climbing rose in check I just cut that back to the roots (several times, but after a few years it got the message) and behold, surprise lemon tree! Admittedly it's kind of a dwarf lemon tree since the plum tree's still overshadowing it. It suffers from black sooty mould and very reliably produces 2 (two) small lemons every year. This year I thought it was just one but then I found another, even smaller, one hiding behind a leaf.
Grade: B but it's a pity grade
2. Asparagus (8 years after moving in)
I'd never eaten fresh asparagus before, only from a can in asparagus rolls. And then one year I suddenly noticed asparagus popping its head out of the ground! When in season I get a few stalks every few days; I'd definitely eat more if there were more! Some years I snap it off and eat it then and there, raw; this year the compost heap is closer by and it's growing particularly thick so I'm enjoying it very-lightly boiled. It's so sweet!
Grade: A for quality
1. Elderberries (10 years after moving in)
I think I was reading an article in the newspaper about elderflower/elderberries when it occurred to me that the photo looked really familiar! It was in fact the same as that spindly tree with the ugly composite flowers! Part of the reason for the spindliness was it was close-abutting an equally large pittosporum; I got a company to remove that and they commented most people would remove the elder tree instead. Fools! Now I harvest large containers full of berries every year, keep them in my deep freeze, and use them in muffins or just as a fruit crumble year-round.
Grade: A++ for quality and quantity
Bets are now open for what I'll discover next!
no subject
Date: 2019-10-06 09:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-10-07 06:47 am (UTC)Maybe when I've picked the latest lemonette off mine I'll give it some fertiliser and one last chance....