05/07/2024
The Edible forest pathway is starting to come back up! Ostrich Fern, Red Veined Sorrel, Lovage (transplanted from main garden) and Hostas (they are cousins of asperagus, and you can eat the spring shoots and leaves)
Only the sorrel is big enough to harvest this year. The pathway was started last year, and it will probably be 2 more years before things are ready to harvest in the spring (2026).
This is one of my demonstration gardens I am working on to show that you can have beautiful ornamental looking gardens, in marginal areas, that double as a source of early spring vegetables.
One of the things I am passionate about is expanding the variety of vegetables in our diet, especially because Muskoka has a small selection in our grocery stores to begin with. And also encouraging people to grow as much as they can on their property, because Ontario imports over 50% of our vegetables from other countries, which leaves us vulnerable. I always sow extra seeds and give away seedlings each year, to build up the variety of perennial vegetables in our area.
I have two more edible shade perennials to put in this year, which will be grown from seed. Angelica, which has a flower that looks similar to the fancy alliums, and purple Japanese Parsley, which I will be using where one might normally put Purple Coral Bells (heuchera). It's not Shiso (which is an annual) , and I've never had it before, so I am curious to see what it tastes like.
Let me know in the comments if you are interested in either of those seedlings, and I will send you an invite when they are ready.
Last year I gave away asperagus, rhubarb, French Sorrel and red veined sorrel, sage, oregano, peppermint and lemon balm.
I still have extra French Sorrel and Sage if you are interested.