EDIBLE

While we now think of cottage gardens as places of themed color and exuberant fragrance, the earliest English incarnations of this planting concept were much more pragmatic and utilitarian places. As it was, the small spaces around the thatched homes of manor servants and villagers were often jammed with herbs and edibles of many varieties as a way to eat and survive. While this might not be a major concern these days, the idea of stepping out for a bite to eat without leaving the yard is intriguing.

Barring global events of natural catastrophe or economic meltdown, the need for culinary self-reliance is not likely to be all that great any time soon. With an eye towards varying degrees of sustainability though, we have been feeling the need to be able to offer some plants of practicality that provide food as well as form. We plan to add to the following list as we try, and are made aware of, good things to eat that could come from your garden.

EDIBLE PLANT PROFILES

	Laurus nobilis This was one of the first plants I learned about in Mike Lee’s ‘Plants for the Northwest’ class back in the early 80’s. Besides being the true culinary bay (not to be confused with Umbellularia) and that it was evergreen and hardy for Puget Sound, I thought it was kind of cool that I had been used extensively in plantings around the base of the Federal Building in downtown Seattle.
	Ficus carica Along with a variety of fruits and vegetables, figs had been grown fairly extensively in the hey day of Vashon’s agricultural history. The variety we have here, although as yet unnamed, comes from a plant that has fruited in an Island garden for over fifty years. It is a brown-fruited variety and very prolific.
	Malus ‘Scarlet Sentinel’ New to us last year, and one of a handful of plants that we don’t propagate ourselves, it was one of the two out of three varieties that fruited the first year. The red/green apples are crisp and sweet. The columnar habit and dwarf rootstock make these trees ideal for small gardens or pots on decks or patios.
	Malus ‘Golden Sentinel’ This apple was also one of the two out of three varieties we tried for the first time last year that set some fruit in their first season. The yellow fruit was a bit more tart-sweet, and stayed crisp in the refrigerator for over a month. The columnar habit and dwarf rootstock make these plants ideal for the small garden or as standards in pots on a deck or patio.
	Malus ‘Northpole’ We ordered the three columnar apple varieties last year for their habit without doing a taste test of the fruit. This is the only one that didn’t set apples last year, so it remains a mystery taste-wise. They did grow well in five gallon pots last season, so this year should see a fruit set. The supplier describes the apples as crisp and sweet and red. Again, as a columnar on dwarf rootstock, these would be great for small gardens and pots.
	Myrica californica In looking for a perfectand diverse plant, about the only thing I’ve ever found wrong with this wax myrtle is that its name strongly associates it with California. Besides that, it is evergreen, drought tolerant, grow in sun or shade and dry or wet and, in spite of personal inclinations otherwise, it takes well to pruning. It is also a food source for varied thrushes in mid winter.
	Umbellularia californica Known also as the California Bay or the Oregon Myrtle, this tree grows well in the Puget Sound Region, if you have plenty of room for it. It is evergreen and can reach heights of sixty feet plus. The leaves can be used in cooking, but some find the subtler taste of Laurus nobilis more to their liking. It is a very aromatic tree in the heat of Summer.
	Arctostaphylos columbiana My first introduction to the shrub manzanitas came in the wilds of Oregon’s Siskiyou Mountains, and I was fascinated by their variations in leaf color and form as well as by their red and mahogany bark. Our plants are grown from cuttings taken from local populations out on the Kitsap peninsula.
	Vaccinium ovatum ‘Blue Abundance’ This evergreen huckleberry comes from a plant found on our property. I gave it the name because the fruit has more of a bluish cast to it than the usual black one finds here, and the abundance part comes from the numerous and large clusters of fruit it produces.
	Camassia quamash This particular strain first came from bulbs purchased at the Arboretum bulb sale years ago. After their first flowering I began to collect the seed of these plants because the size of the flower and their blue-violet color were bigger and richer than others I have seen elsewhere. Seedlings, of course, will vary.