North Bay Woman

14 NORTH BAY WOMAN | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 It would include a solid and diverse base of culinary herbs, perennial crops and workhorse annuals for daily use. Plant a patch of perennial herbs and garnishes like thyme, rosemary and lemon verbena in front of your house or even in a small pot in the window of your kitchen." What about annuals? Rathbone: "Plant some self-seeding ones like parsley and cilantro. Let them go to seed so they come up on their own. Easy-to-grow edible flowers like calendula, Johnny jump-ups and nasturtiums bring in pollinators, add grace and beauty to the garden and plate. Add sweet flowers, like rose petals, to glasses of water as dessert decorations. What's the best way to coordinate the kitchen and the garden? Rathbone: "Learning the rhythms of the seasons and the crops is one of the great joys of gardening. Rather than having a rigid idea about what you are going to serve, go to the garden and let it decide what you are going to cook. But remember, you don't have to grow it all. The goal of the good food movement is interdependence, not independence." Planning is essential to this type of garden. What do you suggest? Rathbone: "for short turn-around crops like basil, lettuce and radishes, do multiple plantings in succession throughout the season. In other words, if you only plant one round of basil at the same time as you put your tomatoes in in May, the basil will be long gone by the time your tomatoes are ripe. Plant another round of basil in July and you can have that caprese salad you had hoped for. Also, plant your fall/winter garden early in August when the soil is still warm. Chard, brassicas and chicories will continue to produce abundant food throughout the fall and winter for Thanksgiving and holiday parties. "Then, when it comes to growing food for a gathering, you can scale up certain favorite crops to feed a crowd." Speaking of parties, what's the best way to coordinate a farm-to-table experience for guests? Rathbone: "Time your harvest to it. Plant twice as much as you need and choose tried-and-true varieties. Our garden manager, for example, plants a cut-and-come again salad bed three to six weeks before our larger classes. Alternatively, plan parties around periods of glut. If you have an abundant harvest of fruit, throw a jam-making party or serve fruit daiquiris to friends. Moments of abundance in the garden are perfect opportunities for gatherings." What five plants give the biggest bang-for-the-buck? Rathbone: "Perennial runner beans deliver protein like no other vegetable and you can enjoy them as scarlet edible flowers, young tender pods that are cooked like green beans, fresh shelling beans, or dried beans for storage or planting. They're great in chili." "Tree collards are far and away the Mother Garden's most beloved and requested edible crop at our plant sales. It graces both our garden borders and tables with stunning silvery purple leaves and keeps us flush with greens even in the winter." "Amaranth is one of the world's most nutritious and protein rich plants. Cook the seeds like quinoa, ground them into flour, or pop them like popcorn for a fun snack, cold cereal or texture in salads, muffins and caramel corn." "Ever-bearing raspberries are my favorite. Prune them correctly and you can have a perpetual crop from spring into fall." "Weeds. At OAEC, we've gotten very friendly with edible weeds and have acquired a taste for wild bitter greens. Dandelion, wild fennel and miner's lettuce pop up in garden beds and borders, and sidewalk cracks. They're great for fresh pesto, crisp salads and sautéed greens." n Above left: Close up of salad. Above right: Authors Olivia Rathbone and Gabriel Tiradani make a toast at a garden-to-table dinner at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in celebration of their forthcoming cookbook. – Photos by Tali Aiona. Below: The first Occidental Arts and Ecology Center cookbook, authored by Olivia Rathbone. –Courtesy of Chelsea Green Publishing

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