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Category Archives: Flavors and Scents
The Invasion of the Chiliheads
Plenty of new words have been coined in recent years, but only one of them as far as I know pertains to gardening—chiliheads. These are the firebrands who breed ever more scorching chili peppers in search of the most red-hot, … Continue reading
Posted in Flavors and Scents
Tagged 7-Pot Primo, Carolina Reaper, chiliheads, corno di toro, Ghost pepper, Moruga Scorpion, Scovill Heat Units
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Mosquito Plants
Marketing is everything—in gardens as in the rest of the economy. Consider this spiky little plant. I would never have given it a second glance in the garden center if not for the fabulous label. But when I spotted the … Continue reading
Posted in Favorite Flowers, Flavors and Scents
Tagged citronella, lemon-scented geranium, mosquito plant, rose-scented geranium, scented geraniums
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Confessions of a Pesto Addict
In one heartbreaking act of finality today, I chopped down the last of my basil. It was time. The bottom leaves were turning yellow, and it was only a matter of who would claim the remaining basil first–me or the … Continue reading
Garlic Galore
Halloween may be coming, but we won’t have any vampires in Hoboken—not judging by the garlic festival sponsored over the weekend by the Hoboken Historical Society. Two long tables were laden with exotic varieties—including Turkish red, French red, Spanish roja, … Continue reading
Posted in Flavors and Scents
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Tomatoes!
It would be difficult to pick a single best taste of summer. But somewhere in the list of contenders would have to be these golden cherry tomatoes, ripe from the vine. I’ve been plucking them by the fistful for the … Continue reading
Posted in Flavors and Scents
Tagged Cherokee purple tomatoes, Neat and Sweet cherry tomatoes
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Ground Cherries
At the farmer’s market this week, this curious little fruit was for sale. It’s related to the tomatillo, which has a similar papery husk. But improbable as it sounds, the flavor is much closer to that of a cherry. To … Continue reading
Mint Surprise
I was warned. Friends told me: mint will take over your garden if you let it. So I planted my spearmint and peppermint in their own pots, where they couldn’t encroach on neighboring herbs. I thought this would limit the … Continue reading
Posted in Flavors and Scents
Tagged mint pesto, mint recipes, mint salad, mint yogurt, mint-marinated shrimp with tabbouleh
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The Tale of Hansel and Gretel
OK, I’ll admit it. Part of what drew me to the Hansel and Gretel miniature eggplants were their names. Wouldn’t it be fun to pair these two varieties, I thought–Hansel with its deep purple fruits, and Gretel with its smooth … Continue reading
Remembrance of Meals Past
To Proust, the most evocative food may have been the madeleine. But for me, there is no delight comparable to basil and dill fresh from the garden, with homegrown tomatoes running a close second. Last summer’s bounty brought plenty of … Continue reading
Posted in Flavors and Scents
Tagged Dawn Jackson Blatner, edible pansies, fresh fig salad, pesto salmon, tomato soup
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Spanish Roja
Garlic, I always assumed, was just garlic. That was before I started reading about heirloom varieties with exotic names like Persian Star, Chilean Silver, Georgian Fire, and Creole Red. Robust and zingy, they promised to deliver more flavor than the … Continue reading
Stevia 101
On a whim this summer, I planted some organic stevia seeds. For weeks, I watched with anticipation as tiny seedlings sprouted—excruciatingly slowly. But I was confident that the wait would be worth it. I’d seen over and over again how … Continue reading
Posted in Flavors and Scents
Tagged Stevia, stevia from cuttings, Stevia from seed
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