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Sea Buckthorn; Sea Berry (Hippophae rhamnoides)

Categories Harvest & Use
Sea buckthorn berries are too acid for fresh eating, for most palates. But, you know how kids are. The fruit is usually used in juice, sweetened or combined with other fruits. It is loaded with vitamins C and A, and not too shabby for E either. The fruit is ripe when it is bright orange, usually in September. Sea buckthorn is often used in soil reclamation and conservation, because it has a large root system, and fixes nitrogen from the air. The oil (mostly in the seeds) is reportedly effective in treating burns and other skin problems, and internally for ulcers. Russians are the largest users of the oil as a therapeutic product. The twigs contain an astringent (tannin), and some extract from them has been used to expel intestinal parasites. Chinese and Russian research indicates the bark and oils may contain tumor-inhibiting compounds. The plant is also used for dyes and carpentry. The foliage will make your pony sleek and fat (I read this on the Internet so it must be true).
Appearance
Sea buckthorn has the form of a small tree, usually reaching nine to twelve feet. But there is a great deal of variety of height among seedlings; generally the plant is shorter in northern lattitudes (i.e. where the growing season is brief). It suckers freely. It has fine, slender grey-green leaves, and small yellow-green flowers, both appearing late in spring. The flower buds of the male plant are smaller than those of the female. The berries turn bright orange when ripe, and hang on throughout the winter.
Cultivation
Sea buckthorn tolerates drought and saline well; it does not tolerate shade. The soil can be poor (since the plant can take some nitrogen from the air); slightly acid pH is preferred. Sea buckthorn does not thrive in soggy clay. The flowers are very frost resistant. They are dioecious and wind pollinated. Fruit is borne on two-year old wood. Dividing the suckers is the easiest form of propagation; layering in autumn also works.
Comment
Wild sea buckthorn is most common around coastal areas, where its tolerance for salinity gives it an advantage over many plants. It ranges from China to Sweden to Turkey. It's naturalized along the east coast of Great Britain, but not native. Sea buckthorn is heavily cultivated in East Germany and the Soviet Union, where it was treasured during the Cold War for its nutrients, especially vitamin C. Its primary use in those countries has been in juice. Sea buckthorn may have been the first juice in space, courtesy of Soviet cosmonauts. China is increasing its research of the plant. In North America, Saskatchewan agriculture is making a place for sea buckthorn (see Web site below). Generally, German cultivars (bred around the Baltic) do best in maritime climates, while Soviet varieties are the hardiest.
Cultivars of Repute
* Leikora: large bush with large, ornamental berries. Like most German varieties, it shrugs off volatile spring weather.
* Novostj Altaja: fewer thorns than average, adapted to long, cold winters, productive. The fruit is less acidic but less nutritional than average.
* Otradnaya: early ripening, vigorous, good for harsh winters.
* Prevoshodnaya: a new Russian variety, reported to be very ornamental. The berries are better than average for eating out-of-hand.
General References
* Simmons
+ One Green World is carving a niche as a specialist in unusual Russian edibles, such as this. They carry many varieties.
+ Here's a useful publication from the Candian government: http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/shelterbelt/shbpub62.htm
+ A specialist nursery and club: http://www.hippophae.com/

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Sorrel; English Sorrel; Sour Dock (Rumex acetosa)

Categories Harvest & Use
The lemony, acid leaves are used as a green, often with eggs. The leaves contain worthwhile amounts of potassium, and vitamins A and C. French sorrel (R. scutatus) is bitterer than English sorrel. The acid in sorrel is oxalic acid, which may be toxic in large concentrations (the Authorities cannot Agree). Oxalates may inhibit absorbtion of calcium and iron. You wouldn't want sorrel as the main ingredient of anything. Herbalists often use sorrel as an appetite stimulant. Cooking sorrel in aluminum pots will blacken the pots. There is also an American Rumex whose roots the Navajo use to make a rich brown dye.
Appearance
An upright plant reaching 2' in height, with long arrow-head shaped leaves, and red flower spikes.
Cultivation
Sorrel propagates readily from roots, and spreads rapidly. It grows well in shade. Once established, it can be mowed.
Comment
The name "sorrel" comes from a general Germanic root meaning sour. It is probably native to northern Europe and Asia. Thomas Jefferson grew sorrel at Monticello. Naturally, Authorities disagree over Origins: Most say Asia but some say Europe.
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Bryan [A]
* Schneider [R]

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Strawberry (Fragaria X Ananassa )

Categories Harvest & Use
Common strawberries come in two types: those that bear continuously throughout the growing season, and those that bear in June. Both put out runners like spider plants, junebearers moreso. As with many fruits, commercial varieties are bred for firmness (to withstand shipping), and are picked underripe: home grown specimens are much tastier. The fruit gains no flavor after it is picked. It is often cooked in combination with rhubarb, gooseberries, or banana; Bryan recommends making tea from the leaves. Canned strawberries are widely reviled. Strawberries are a low-calorie, high-fiber source of potassium and vitamin C; small amounts of iron, vitamin A, calcium, and ellagitannins (possible anti-cancer agent) are also present. The flowers attract butterflies.
Appearance
A ground plant with small white flowers and red fruits. Deep green leaves spiral around the crown.
Cultivation
The strawberry's various varieties have a range of hardiness from zone 4 to zone 10, and varying resistance to frost in their blooms. No one variety has such a range, so it is important to get a variety suited to your climate. Generally, everbearers are better for northern climates. Strawberries are usually planted in spring, and it is common to pinch off early flowers in the first year to divert energy to the roots. All strawberries are shallow rooted, and lose productivity after a few years (they also become more blight prone). Strawberries are very susceptible to root diseases, such as Black Root-Rot and Red Stele, and to the root weevil. Very fertile soil can support one plant per square foot. Most varieties need 200-300 chill hours.
Comment
This is the common store strawberry, a cross between two American species, the large-fruited F. chiloensis (native to, you guessed it, Chile) and F. virginiana (native to, you guessed it...). Five Chilean strawberry plants were brought to Europe in the 17th century by Monsieur Amede Frezier, an explorer who had been spying on Spanish fortifications for the French. Secret agent Frezier failed to capture any male pollinizers for his Chilean plants, so they were crossed with some American varieties (originally intended to cross with the native wood strawberry). The eventual result was the common supermarket strawberry of today.
Cultivars of Repute [hardiness zones]
Everbearing:
* Ft. Laramie: one of the hardiest varieties; a productive bearer of medium-sized fruit. [4-8].
* Guardian: large berries, moderately disease-resistant plant. [4-8]
* Ogallala: a hardy variety with a tangy wild-berry flavor, popular in the midwest and mountain areas.
* Ozark Beauty: hardy, very productive, popular throughout the east. [4-8]
* Quinalt: huge berries, popular in the west. [7-9]
* Redchief: disease resistant, heavy bearer.
* Red Rich: widely adapted, somewhat tolerant of saline, productive.
* Tristar: The plant is hardy, disease resistant and precocious. The fruit is medium-sized. [4-8]
Junebearing:
* Earliglow: large, early, sweet, multipurpose fruit. The plant is disease resistant, vigorous, and productive. [4-8]
* Fairfax: another old-fashioned variety said to burst with flavor.
* Florida90: good for deep south, very early ripening, fair flavor.
* Sequoia: large, early-ripening prize-winning berries for fresh-eating, popular with home gardeners (the fruit doesn't ship well). May be slightly everbearing in some areas.
* Shuksan: The large fruit is excellent for freezing; plant tolerates wet soil better than most. [6-8]
* Suwannee: now this is one flavorful berry.
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Bryan [A]
* Grigson [R,L]
+ The Kentville Research station in Nova Scotia has developed many strawberry varieties (and lowbush blueberries): http://res2.agr.ca/kentville/

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Strawberry, Alpine; Fraise de Bois (Fragaria vesca)

Categories Harvest & Use
The alpine strawberry is less productive than commercial strawberries; the fruit is smaller, wilder tasting, and borne throughout the growing season (most abundantly in spring). The flowers attract butterflies. Yellow-fruited varieties are less attractive to birds, probably a Good Thing since the plants are far from prolific.
Appearance
The alpine strawberry is a compact and often tidy (for a strawberry anyway) ground plant; many varieties are runnerless. Flowers are white, fruits cream or red depending on cultivar.
Cultivation
All strawberries loses productivity quickly, but are easily uprooted and replaced. Alpine will grow in a 6" pot. Propagate by dividing the crown.
Comment
The origin of the alpine strawberry is usually attributed to the western and southern Alps of Europe. So, with some surprise I read a USDA publication describing F. vesca as native to North America. I emailed the Authority in Charge, whence came this reply:

Sir,

Evidently you're correct, it does occur in Europe though I don't know it there. Also broadly distributed in North America, where native. It's circumboreal, very widely distributed.

Thanks for using PLANTS,
Mark Skinner

The alpine strawberry is found in all the best French restaurants (sniff). It was probably the first strawberry to be cultivated, sometime during the Rennaissance. It is a species of wood strawberry, a featured symbol of fertility and transient delight in Hieronymous Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. Peter S. Beagle writes:

...Fray SigŸenza's History refers to the entire triptych as The Strawberry Plant, stating that it centers around "...a picture of the transient glory and the fleeting taste of the strawberry, and its pleasant fragrance that is hardly remembered once it has passed."

A narrow interpretation of a complex object, but at least it has something to do with edible landscaping.
Cultivars of Repute
Most varieties taste alike. Cream- or yellow-fruited cultivars include 'Yellow Alpine' and 'Pineapple Crush'. 'Alpine White' is like 'Alpine Yellow' but puts out runners. Red varieties (more easily spotted by birds) include 'Alexandria' and 'Fressant'.
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Grigson [R,L]
* Reich [C, L]
* Simmons [C]

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Strawberry, Musk; Hautbois (Fragaria moschata)

Categories Harvest & Use
Musk strawberries are less productive than commercial strawberries. The flowers attract various butterflies.
Appearance
White flowers, yellow or red fruits, depending on cultivar; puts out runners which will turn a spaced planting into a ground-cover. The musk strawberry is semi-evergreen in the warm end of its range.
Cultivation
Like all strawberries, the musk is shallow rooted. The plant loses productivity ater a few years, but is easily uprooted and replaced (civilization's most ancient form of "renewal"). The self-fertility of the musk strawberry is the result of breeding: wild ones are dioecious. Musk strawberries tolerate shade better than other species of strawberry.
Comment
The musk strawberry is native to central and eastern Europe and Scandanavia.
Cultivars of Repute
Profumata do Tortona, Prolific
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Reich [C, L]

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Tarragon, French (Artemisia dracunculus)

Categories Harvest & Use
Tarragon is delicately flavored. The sprigs are used to flavor vinegar and salad dressing, and in egg, cheese, and fish dishes. They can be harvested in June and thereafter. Tarragon is often described as a salt substitute because of its value in mild dishes (e.g., eggs). It is a characteristic flavoring of sauce bŽarnaise, which the French like to dump on meat.
Appearance
An upright plant growing to 2'. The dark, shiny, bluish, fine-cut, blade-like leaves grow on woody stems. The flowers are small, and greenish-white.
Cultivation
Tarragon can't stand wet feet. The roots are spreading and shallow. It does stand poor soil, and exposure to heat and the elements inlcuding car exhaust. The optimum (but inessential) pH is 6.7. The plants lose their flavor after about 4 years. Propagation is usually by division, rarely by seed.
Comment
Tarragon was one of the "simples" used by Hippocrates. It was common in continental Europe during the Middle Ages, but didn't reach England until the reign of the Tudors. Waverly Root argues that invading Mongols brought tarragon to Asia Minor, where it was picked up by the Crusaders and introduced to western Europe. The plant's popular name is a corruption (via French) of its Latin name dracunculus, meaning "little dragon," perhaps because of its serpentine roots. Russian tarragon is a different plant--what you are likely to get if you purchase seeds--and less highly recommended. Some Caucasian and Asian Indian people are taste-blind to anethole, an active ingredient in the flavor of tarragon (also fennel and aniseed). (Atkins:137)

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Thyme; Lemon Thyme (Thymus vulgaris; T. citriodorus)

Categories Harvest & Use
Shoots, leaves and flowers can all be used in cooking. They are traditionally used to flavor meat dishes, and one hears they aid the digestion of fat. Thyme oil is anti-bacterial, and finds its way into a number of products related to oral hygiene, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. Thyme prevents fatty foods from going rancid (as do sage and and rosemary). Thyme and mint are sometimes planted in paths so that they will release their scent when trod upon--a practice popular among Elizabethans. Lemon thyme has a more delicate taste than common thyme.
Appearance
A 1' tall groundcover with tiny, oval, gray-green leaves and lavender flowers. Lemon thyme has pink flowers and slightly larger leaves.
Cultivation
Thyme likes a light, well-drained, soil; it's subject to root-rot in soggy soil. Ideal pH is 6.5. Full sun makes thyme put on a happy face. Propagation is by seed, division, layering of side-shoots, or soft-wood cuttings. Lemon thyme is less hardy than common thyme, and even common thyme will require protection in the cold end of zone 4.
Comment
Thyme is native to southern Europe and Asia Minor. The name probably comes from the Greek "thyos" meaning incense. Thyme has antioxidant properties which help preserve fatty food, like meats (which doesn't mean it acts as an antioxidant in your body, however).
Cultivars of Repute
Most, if not all, cultivars of thyme were selected for ornamental purposes. 'Argentus' has silver-variegated leaves. There are several ground-hugging species.
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Atkins [L]
* Bryan [A]

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Walnut, Black (Juglans nigra)

Categories Harvest & Use
Black walnut shells are notoriously tough to crack. A hammer works and is tedious; driving over the nuts with a car is a popular approach. The shells are encased in a mushy greenish-yellow husk that stains. The husk is supposedly useful in ridding oneself of tapeworms: Try it and get back to me. The Navajo blended the shells with alum to make a dark brown dye. Black walnuts are more strongly flavored than Persian walnuts, and higher in protein. They are commonly used in cookies, and can be used as a meat substitute in many dishes. The wood is extremely valuable--there are cases of thieves felling street trees in the night--and widely sought by woodworkers for its hardness and fine straight grain. Ideal commercial spacing for timber production is 10-15' apart, thinning every other tree after 20 years. Mature trees create a fine filtered shade; they should be 20' from any house foundation. Walnut oil tastes good.
Appearance
The tree often grows over 100 ft. tall. Black walnuts have lacy compound leaves, arching limbs and deeply ridged, dark grey bark. The leaves can be up to two ft. long, with 15 to 20 leaflets. The nuts are yellow, green, or in-between.
Cultivation
Seedlings and some cultivars are not self-fertile, or not significantly so. Plenty of water, nitrogen, and sun are needed for maximum vigor and cropping. Black walnuts tolerate wet soil exceptionally well (better than Persians), but won't grow in a swamp. The trees will grow in some shade, but prefer full sun (and, reaching 140' at maturity, know how to get it). There are some reports that deer ignore walnut saplings.
Comment
The black walnut is native to alluvial soils of the Mississippi drainage basin. Black walnuts, and to a lesser extent other walnuts, are alleopathic: the roots and nuts contain a chemical (juglone) that is toxic to some other plants (it's thought to inhibit respiration). Many plants grow stuntedly if within a black walnut's dripline, and some, such as members of the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers), grow not at all. The toxicity appears to decrease with distance from the canopy, and in well-drained soils; shallow-rooted plants may do better beneath black walnuts than deep-rooted ones; frequent watering and nitrogen fertilizing may also mitigate the allelopathy. Plants in this database reportedly susceptible to juglone are: asparagus, apple, blueberry, pear, and rhubarb; some experts list blackberry as susceptible, while others list it as resistant. A list of plants known to grow well within the dripline of walnuts is around here somewhere. Black walnut foliage is reportedly toxic to horses.
Cultivars of Repute {best pollinized by}
The nuts of most cultivars have thinner shells than those of seedlings.
1. Cooksey {self-fertile}
2. Emma K {3, 4}
3. Hare {4}
4. Sparrow: heavy bearer, slightly self-fertile, best in zones 5-7 {2}

For a walnut that will grow in zone 2, see "butternut" in the entry for "Persian Walnut."

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Walnut, Persian; English Walnut (Juglans regia)

Categories Harvest & Use
Shelled nuts must be refrigerated to keep for more than a few weeks. The northern oriole nests in walnut trees.
Appearance
The Persian walnut possesses a stately figure with smooth light gray bark, and compound leaves. The leaves usually have five to seven leaflets, and decent fall color.
Cultivation
The Persian walnut comes in varieties which leaf out early, midseason, and late. New foliage and the flowers are susceptible to frost, and blights spread by moisture such as spring rain, so it is important to match varieties with regions. Varieties that leaf out late should be chosen for areas with rainy springs. Also, varieties differ dramatically in cold-hardiness; those bred in the Carpathian mountains are the hardiest Persians, surviving in zone 4. (For a walnut species that will live in zones 3 and 2, see 'butternut' below.) Sustained temperatures over 100” F have a deleterious effect on nut quality. The walnut has a deep taproot, making it drought tolerant and unsuited to shallow soil. Best production is achieved by cross-pollination. Most varieties require 700-1500 chill hours. There are some reports that deer ignore young walnut trees.
Comment
Primitive members of the walnut family were among the first angiosperms (flowering plants), dating back to the Cretaceous when dinosaurs chatted back and forth through the tree tops. They were the weeds of the prehistoric, able to grow rapidly in areas disturbed by heavy saurian activity. The Romans dedicated the stately modern tree to Jove, and used the nuts as fertility symbols (Friedlander: 168). It is native to Persia. The 1769 entry in Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book describes the membership of the first orchard at Monticello: almond, apple, apricot, cherry, fig, nectarine, pear, pomegranate, quince and walnut (probably Persian grafted on black). The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "wealhhnutu": "wealh" meaning "foreigner" (literally, "Welshman," i.e. an uppity Celt, not an Anglo-Saxon) and "hnutu" meaning "nut," so named because the walnut is an import to England (unlike the Anglo-Saxons, of course...pfft).
Cultivars of Repute
Persian walnuts are only partly self-fruitful: plant two to maximize yield.
* Adams: very hardy Carpathian type popular in the eastern US. [4-6]
* Chandler: late-blooming, heavy bearing, high-quality kernel; popular west of the Rockies. [8-9]
* Chico: early-ripening, heavy bearer, excellent pollinizer but somewhat susceptible to early frosts. Californians often plant Chico. [8-9]
* Hansen: smallish, disease-resistant tree with thin-shelled nuts; widely adapted. [6-7]
* Spurgeon: A late-starting variety good for regions subject late spring frost and rain, e.g., the Pacific Northwest. The highly rated nut ripens late. [5-8]
* Other species of Juglans with tasty nuts include the butternut (Juglans cinera) and heartnut (Juglans sieboliana cordifolia), which will pollinize each other. Butternut, also known as "white walnut" is the hardiest of the walnuts, withstanding lows near -50” F ("warm" end of zone 2), and has ornamental white wood. Heartnut is shorter, still wide spreading, and very ornamental. See also "Walnut, Black."
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Kourik [C]

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