Backyard Foraging for Edible Ornamentals

You may not know it, but your backyard may be host to a range of edible flowers and berries

Gardens are all about engaging the senses : colors and pattern to catch the eye , rustling farewell and birdsong to please the ear , all kinds of industrial plant textures to rival , and a wide image of fresh scents to tickle the olfactory organ . So why not please your roof of the mouth as well ? Fortunately , you’re able to delight delicious flavour from your garden without implant a home woodlet ( or even going to the effort of impart traditional edibles to your borders ) by learning about backyard scrounge : discovering the edible properties of plants you already have grow in your landscape . You may be surprised to find out how many plants you may nibble on as you puzzle out or wander around in your yard .

You do want to be careful when you start snacking from plant not usually grown as edibles . Make certain you have aright identify what ’s grow in your yard , and that you make out the plants are gratuitous of pesticide residue . As with anything you eat , there ’s always the chance you could be allergic to it , so be cautious , and start with very little quantity .

Tastes also variegate widely , so what some people find unappetizing you may find very tasty , and vice versa . One of my own favorite foraging finds in my Pennsylvania garden is ‘ Issai ’ majestic beautyberry ( Callicarpa dichotoma‘Issai ’ , Zones 5–8 ) . The abundant , brilliant purple berries are petite and , admittedly , squalid . Some report them as flat or acerbic , but I find that they have an interesting sweetness .

American cranberry bush ( Viburnum trilobum , Zones 2–7 ) is another shrub I had in my garden for many twelvemonth before I clear that the showy fruits are eatable . With two unlike cultivars—‘Bailey Compact ’ and Redwing ® (‘J. N. Select’)—growing in the same area , I have plenty of berries to pick ; in fact , I have way more than I ’d ever wipe out . I ’d say the taste is refreshingly tart .

You probably already be intimate that daylily ( Hemerocallisspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) buds and flowers are ok to feed , and maybe you ’ve tried sprinkling a few blooms of reddish blue ( Violaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) or nasturtium ( Tropaeolum majus , annual ) in a salad for colouring material . But did you know that hosta ( Hostaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) blooms are edible as well ? I sampled the buds and efflorescence for the first metre this summer and found them to have a nice compaction and light , pleasant flavor .

If you ’re interested in instruct more , I highly recommend getting a copy ofBackyard Foraging : 65 Familiar plant You Did n’t Know You Could EatbyEllen Zachos . Ellen has all-encompassing experience with foraging in our region , and with her guidance , you may get wind you ’re already growing many other interesting and tasty edible in your Mid - Atlantic landscape .

Nancy J. Ondra is the author of over fifteen books , includingGrasses , The Perennial Care Manual , andThe Perennial Matchmaker .

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