Indispensable Edibles
Ed Hume picks his top 10 from a wide and well-tested field
PREV
|
|
Ever wonder what Ed Hume grows in his own garden? After years of testing and development, he's the go-to guy for which vegetable varieties do best in Northwest growing conditions.
Ed and his wife, Myrna, live on Puyallup's South Hill, tending three organically cultivated acres with a close-up view of Mount Rainier. Ed is the gardener in the family, but insists "Myrna has her say, and she has some strong opinions." The ornamental qualities of vegetables and herbs are nearly as important as taste to Ed and Myrna, because they mix edibles with shrubs, annuals and perennials throughout beds and borders.
Ed was getting ready for the new growing season when we spoke, updating his sprinkler system and adding a tunnel trellis to the garden. But he was happy to pause long enough to come up with this well-vetted list of his favorite edibles:
'Improved Green Globe' artichokes. Perennials as pretty in the border as they are delicious on the dinner table. Ed grows them for their silvery gray, deeply cut foliage, showy edible flower buds and fountain-like form that can reach 5 feet high and wide. Myrna cuts the artichokes for flower arrangements; their purple thistle-like flower heads dry beautifully.
'Ingot' carrots. "I like to grow carrots in the landscape," says Ed, "because their attractive feathery foliage offers a pleasant contrast to other plants." He prefers the exceptionally sweet and vitamin-rich 'Ingot,' which is long, smooth and bright orange. Harvested when finger-sized, they're delicious raw, juiced or cooked.
'Bright Lights' Swiss chard. The new darling of winter containers, it has brilliantly colored stalks in shades of ruby, yellow, orange, pink and white. This neon-like chard not only livens up the winter garden but offers mild-tasting, tender stalks. Its crinkled young leaves make great salad greens.
'Forest Green' parsley. Ed says they first saw this parsley in downtown Anchorage, where it was used as landscaping. It has dark-green, curly leaves and makes an effective ruff around summer annuals. It can be used as a flavoring and garnish, and also in bouquets and containers.
'Eclipse' green peas. A new type of shelling pea, it is much sweeter than the older varieties. Ed says that in trials, all 75 judges voted it the best of all pea varieties. The plant grows about 3 feet tall and needs staking. Ed claims that in his garden, 'Eclipse' peas rarely make it all the way into the kitchen for cooking.
'Watermelon' radishes. I never expected to see a truly decorative radish, but Ed grows 'em. 'Watermelon' is a curiosity of a vegetable, with a snowy white skin and red centers. The Humes toss them into salads because they're crunchy and delicious as well as eye-catching. Because they germinate so quickly, growing 'Watermelon' radishes from seed is a perfect science project for kids.
'Lemon' cucumbers. "Mention cucumbers and the only one Myrna ever wants is 'Lemon,' " says Ed of these round, yellow, sweet-tasting cucumbers. Myrna cautions that you should pick them before they turn orange, or they're apt to lose their sweet flavor.
'Delicata' squash. Ed's favorite kind of winter squash is also known as peanut squash due to its elongated shape. Delicatas have cream-colored skin veined in green; inside their sweet potato-like flesh is light orange and so delicious even Ed's grandkids eat them.
'Tri-color' sage. A perennial herb with green, cream and pink leaves, it is grown for its showy looks as well as a flavoring for poultry, lamb and stuffings.
'Romano II' bush beans. These bushy plants don't need staking and bear smooth, wide, flat pods that are especially easy to pick. The beans have so much flavor picked right out of the garden that all they need is a little steaming and a dash of salt.
Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer and author of "A Pattern Garden." Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net.
|
|
|
|
Back to top