Tag: gardening

The Dirt On Clean Food

Everyone talks about “clean” food like it’s the panacea to all malaise, the upper echelon of edibles, the thing we should all strive to put on the table. Personally, I want my food dirty.

I want carrots that have known the earth, found shelter within the dark depths of the ground, and felt so moved to bring some of that with them all the way through their journey to my home.

I want leeks encased in layers of sand and silt, the materials needed to produce a more tender inner stalk. I want to spend the time to separate them, one by one, to bathe and appreciate all that went into their creation.

I want leafy greens that show up to the party with friends. Ladybugs, caterpillars, even the odd spider are wonderful plus ones. I want to know how they’ve nourished their community from their inception, and how the ecosystem has worked to pollinate and support their growth, too.

I want mangoes sticky with sap, leaving a glossy trail from their stems to my kitchen counter. I want it to tell me that it’s so incredibly sweet, it can’t possibly keep all those ripe sugars to itself.

If “clean,” antiseptic food that seems to have arrived via immaculate conception is your thing, that’s fine. I want mine filthy, having lived a real life in the earth with flavor to show for it.

Hannah (BitterSweet)5 Comments

Grafting Fruit Trees: Combining Strength and Flavor

Tending a garden in Central Texas can be as temperamental as weathering the wild swings between drought and deluge. Guidance from seasoned growers is essential, which is why I’m so lucky to have met Fig Beard. Ever since that air layering workshop, his deep knowledge of sustainable gardening and traditional propagation methods left a lasting impression on me. Today, I’m thrilled to feature another piece of his wisdom: grafting fruit trees. It’s an age-old technique that might sound intimidating at first, but in Fig’s hands, it becomes both approachable and deeply rewarding. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a curious beginner like me, you’re in for a treat.

What if you could combine the vigor of one tree with the delicious fruit of another? Grafting makes this possible! This propagation technique lets you create fruit trees that are productive, resilient, and true to their parent’s best qualities.

What is Grafting?

Grafting is the process of joining a branch from one tree (the scion) with the root system of another (the rootstock), to grow them together as a single plant. The scion carries the desirable fruit qualities, while the rootstock provides a strong foundation and can influence the tree’s size, disease resistance, and adaptability. 

Why Propagate with Grafting?

Most fruit trees grown from seed do not produce good quality fruit, and some trees can’t reproduce by rooting a cutting. Grafting guarantees you’ll get the same delicious fruit as the parent, preserving unique or heirloom varieties for generations.

Combine Desirable Traits

Grafting allows you to pair the best fruiting wood with rootstocks that offer disease resistance, cold hardiness, or tree dwarfing characteristics. 

Speed Up Fruit Production

Seed-grown trees can take many years to bear fruit, but grafted trees often fruit much sooner. The mature scion “remembers” its age and can begin producing fruit within a few years of grafting.

Change or Add Varieties

Want to upgrade an old tree or try something new? Grafting lets you add new varieties to an existing tree, even creating “fruit salad” trees with multiple types of fruit on a single trunk.

Best Fruit Trees for Grafting

Grafting is especially important for fruit trees that don’t root well from cuttings or don’t come true from seed. Top candidates include:

  • Apples & Pears
  • Stone Fruits (like cherries, plums, peaches, apricots)
  • Persimmons
  • Citrus

Materials Needed for Grafting

  1. Sharp Pruning Shears: To cleanly cut scion and rootstock.
  2. Grafting Knife: A blade with only one side sharpened (aka, single bevel). This is incredibly important to get a flat smooth cut on the materials.
  3. Grafting Tape: Holds the graft union securely and protects it from moisture loss.
  4. Rootstock and Scion Wood: Choose healthy, compatible material—scion wood is typically collected while dormant in winter.
  5. Labels: To keep track of varieties and dates.

Guide to Grafting Fruit Trees

There are many different styles or methods of grafting. One popular method is called “cleft grafting,” which you can easily learn to do.

  1. Collect and Prepare Scion Wood: Gather healthy, dormant scion wood in winter. Cuttings should be about pencil-thick and 4–6 inches long, with at least two or three healthy buds.
  2. Prepare the Rootstock: Select a compatible rootstock and prune it to the desired height. Remove the top of the rootstock and make a cut down the center to create the “cleft” that will receive the scion.
  3. Prepare the Scion: Use a grafting knife to cut both sides of the scion into a wedge shape. 
  4. Join Scion and Rootstock: Carefully align the cambium layers of the rootstock and the scion. Good contact is crucial for a successful graft union.
  5. Secure the Graft: Wrap the graft union tightly with grafting tape or a rubber band. Apply grafting wax or sealing compound to protect the cut surfaces from drying out and to keep out pests and disease.
  6. Label and Monitor: Label your graft with the variety and date. Keep an eye on the graft over the next few weeks—successful grafts will begin to heal and eventually push out new growth.

Aftercare for Grafted Trees

Keep the grafted area shaded, and protect young trees from wind and pests. Remove any shoots that sprout from below the graft union so all the tree’s energy goes into the new scion.

Be Patient. It can take several weeks or longer for the graft union to heal. Once the graft is established and new growth appears, you can gradually acclimate the tree to its final planting spot. With proper care, your grafted tree will bear fruit true to its parent in just a few years.

Figbeard is a fruit tree specialist who consults and advises home growers and commercial orchards. Don’t miss his series of educational fruit tree workshops in Austin, Texas. And if you haven’t followed Figbeard’s Instagram, you’re missing out on some gorgeous fruit in your feed!

Hannah (BitterSweet)10 Comments

Putting On Airs

When it comes to growing plants, especially in a temperamental, often extreme region like Central Texas, I’m still a complete novice. That’s why I’ve turned to the professionals to kick start my edible landscaping projects at home. I had the pleasure of meeting Fig Beard at a fig tree workshop hosted by the Central Texas Food Bank way back in April, and I couldn’t wait to share his expertise. Fig Beard’s passion for sustainable gardening and plant propagation is truly inspiring; his approach to growing plants is as rooted in practicality as it is in tradition.

In today’s guest post, Fig Beard dives into one of his favorite propagation techniques: air layering. Whether you’re looking to expand your fruit tree collection or simply want to learn how to clone your favorite shrubs, air layering is a reliable and rewarding method. In the following article, Fig will walk you through the steps of air layering, share tips for success, and explain why this technique can be especially effective for certain plants. Prepare to propagate with confidence!

Air Layering: A Fast and Reliable Way to Propagate Fruit Trees

Growing fruit trees at home is a wonderful way to enjoy fresh produce, cultivate natural beauty, and foster a deeper connection to the earth. When you propagate trees yourself, it’s even more rewarding!

Air layering is a propagation technique favored by many gardeners, allowing you to create new, fruit-bearing trees that retain the desirable qualities of the parent plant. This guide walks through the benefits of air layering, necessary materials, and step-by-step instructions so you can begin air layering in your own garden.

What is Air Layering?

Air layering is a method of propagating plants by encouraging a branch to grow roots while still attached to the tree. Once the branch develops its own root system, it can be cut off and planted independently. This allows you to create a genetically identical clone that bears the same fruit as the original tree.

Why Propagate with Air Layering?

Fast-Track to Reliable Fruit Varieties

Growing a fruit tree from seed can take many years, and trees grown from seed often don’t produce desirable fruit. Air layering allows you to clone a tree that you know has excellent fruit, giving you faster access to produce from an identical tree.

Higher Rates of Propagation Success

Air layering tends to be more successful than rooting cuttings because the branch remains connected to the tree’s resources while developing roots. This direct support encourages faster, healthier root growth.

Better for Hard-to-Root Varieties

Some trees are naturally harder to root from cuttings and may require extra nurturing. Air layering offers an alternative for these varieties, ensuring they develop robust roots with less stress and better overall success.

Best Fruit Trees for Air Layering  

Air layering is ideal for trees that are also able to take root from cuttings. The best candidates include:

  • Figs: Figs are among the most successful fruit trees to propagate with air layering.
  • Pomegranates: Pomegranates are strong candidates for air layering, but they may take more time to develop roots.
  • Citrus: Many types of citrus trees respond well to air layering.

Trees like apple, pear, persimmon, and stone fruit trees generally do not root from cuttings and similarly, they will not be good candidates for air layering.

Materials Needed for Air Layering 

  1. Sharp Knife or Pruning Shears: Essential for making precise cuts on the branch.
  2. Rooting Hormone (Optional): Helps speed up root development.
  3. Moist Medium: Sphagnum moss or peat moss works well; avoid heavy soils and soils that don’t retain moisture.
  4. Plastic Wrap or Plastic Bag: Encases the moss and retains moisture.
  5. Twine, Twist Ties, or Tape: For securing the wrap around the branch.
  6. Aluminum Foil: Shields the developing roots from sunlight.

Step-by-Step Guide to Air Layering 

  1. Select a Healthy Branch

Choose a branch that’s at least pencil-thick, about 12-18 inches long, and has fresh leaf growth. This will give you a strong, vigorous branch for propagation.

  1. Make a Cut

Using a sharp knife, make two shallow, circular cuts below a bud node and gently remove a 1-2 inch ring of bark to expose the cambium layer.

  1. Apply Rooting Hormone

If available, dust the exposed area with rooting hormone powder. This helps stimulate quicker, stronger root formation, especially for trees with tougher branches.

  1. Apply Moss and Wrap

Moisten the moss, wrap it around the cut section, and cover it with plastic wrap to retain moisture. The moss should be damp, not soaked, to prevent root rot.

  1. Secure the Wrap

Secure both ends of the plastic wrap with twine, twist ties, or tape. Then add aluminum foil around the plastic to protect the roots from direct sunlight.

  1. Monitor the Layer

Over the next few weeks, check the moss regularly to ensure it stays moist. Re-moisten it as needed. Root formation generally takes 4-8 weeks, depending on the tree type and growing conditions.

  1. Separate the Branch

Once you see a robust root system, it’s time to separate your new tree from the parent. Cut just below the root ball with sharp pruning shears.

Potting and Pruning for Best Results

Remove Most of the Leaves

Before potting, remove most of the leaves to reduce strain on the new roots. This ensures the young plant can support itself without excessive moisture loss.

Acclimate in a Pot

Carefully place the new plant in a pot with nutrient-rich soil and keep it in a shaded area. This step allows the roots to stabilize and develop further before being exposed to full sunlight. When the tree is well-rooted, it’s ready for its final planting spot and will eventually provide fruit as reliably as its parent.

Figbeard is a fruit tree specialist who consults and advises home growers and commercial orchards. Don’t miss his series of educational fruit tree workshops in Austin, Texas. If you haven’t followed Figbeard’s Instagram, you’re missing out on some gorgeous fruit in your feed!

Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Passion Of The Fruit

Wild passion fruit, Mossy passionflower, Running pop, Wild water-lemon, Love-in-a-mist, Love-in-a-mist passionflower, Stinking granadilla, Stinking passionflower, Stinking passionfruit, Wild passionfruit, Fetid passionflower, Scarletfruit passionflower, Passionflower, Killip, Red-fruit passionflower, Goat-scented passion flower, Atlas Cedar, Galapagos passionflower, Love–in-the-mist, Papbush, Scarlet-fruit Passion-flower, Tagua passionflower, Red fruit passion flower…

I’m not even partway through the opening paragraph and the names just keep on coming. For a single plant to have so many potential titles, you know that it’s made some serious friends—or enemies—over the years. The unmistakable crowns of threadlike tendrils, contrasting with the delicate petals in shades of white, pink, purple, or even deep burgundy, are as stunning as they are persistent. If you plant them once, you have them for life. This is how I came to find my new lawn dominated by their succulent vines and ostentatious blossoms.

What ARE Wild Passionfruits?

For the sake of simplicity, I refer to them as “passionfruit,” but they’re distinctly different from the tropical variety. Smaller, bright red when ripe, and with a far drier pulp inside, Passiflora foetida L. has more in common with maypops, another similar southern variant. Ask five people what they taste like, though, and you’ll get five different answers. Perhaps it’s a matter of terroir, but mine are mildly sweet, not tart, not sour, not anything else like I’ve read online. Subtle, with more crunch than flavor, figuring out just what to do with this windfall has been an unexpected adventure.

Ideas For Cooking and Eating Wild Passionfruit

If you’re in a similar boat with odd red fruits raining down like hailstones, you’re in luck! I’ve found countless ways to enjoy these oddities, though depending on the exact tasting notes of your personal cache, your mileage may vary. Be prepared to dial in the sweetness and seasonings to best suit your preferences.

  • Dressing: Think of them like papaya seeds in this case, perfect to swap into a sweet-and-sour salad dressing. Adapt any recipe you like, but I’ve found great success by blending 1 shallot, 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons wild passionfruit pulp/seeds, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Once smooth, stream in 1/2 cup olive oil to emulsify.

  • Smoothies: If you just want a bit of added nutrition, you can’t go wrong with any sort of smoothie! Blend it completely smooth and you won’t even know it’s there.
  • Muffins and Quick Breads: Mix 3 – 4 tablespoons of the seeds and pulp into any muffin or quick bread batter to add a satisfying little crunch every now and then. This is an especially enjoyable addition to lemon-poppyseed muffins and banana bread, if I do say so myself.

  • Jam and Jelly: When in doubt, just add pectin. This is my favorite recipe because you can toss the fruits whole into the pot when you’re ready to start cooking. The skins contribute a ruby red color, then use a slotted spoon to strain them out, keeping the seeds for that characteristic crunch.
  • Fruit Salad: Toss the pulp with fresh seasonal fruits, like cherries and blueberries, or more tropical picks like pineapple and mango, to introduce more texture.

Are wild passionfruit the kind of culinary sensation that would drive people to spend upwards of $4 a piece, as is the case for the tropical variety? Not so much. Do they have absolutely stunning flowers that yield a side benefit of a nice little snack every now and then? 100%. Take advantage of this pervasive “weed” and embrace the wild vines. Once you’ve got ’em, they’re yours for life!

Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

Sage Advice

When you were a kid, did you ever dream of one day waking up in someone else’s life? To jump out of bed in a brand new room, fully inhabited and carefully curated by someone with an impeccable sense of style? To open the drawers and find all new clothes, exactly your size, but nicer than you’ve ever had before? That’s what it felt like beginning the latest chapter in my new home. Such an immaculate, well-maintained space could only have fallen into my custody by some magical event, like something only my childlike imagination could rationalize.

Inhabiting that dream is a wild endeavor. Instead of waking up right when it starts getting good, you just keep going, discovering more, increasingly incredible things. Every minute detail is yours for savoring, and in the case of the yard especially, that will be an endless odyssey. Clearly, the previous owners had green thumbs, sowing seeds for plants and vegetables up and down the perimeter, into raised beds, across the front walk; everywhere the eye can see.

Gardening has become a full-contact sport. Beating back the weeds, growing tenaciously with thorns and burs outstretched with the threat of violence thick in the air, wasn’t part of the dream I fancied, but honestly, have also come to relish. Ripping out the invasive roots is incredibly satisfying, piling the gnarled roots for composting in a heap that gleams like a trophy in the sun. The real treasure is found when the battle is won, slowly unveiling a panoply of new plants for the taking.

Tomatoes, peas, mint, rosemary, sage- Oh, the sage! Suddenly I’ve inherited a large family of plant babies, but the sage, especially, demands attention. For a pungent herb that goes a long way, I certainly have a ton of it now. The soft, feathery leaves outstretch and tumble outside of their wooden containers, tumbling into the loamy soil below. They push and shove their siblings in an old fashioned show of rivalry, fighting for attention when they already have it. So in this dream world that’s become my life, I’m the steward of an outrageously large patch of fresh sage. No one prepared me for such an outlandish outcome.

Fresh Sage Tasting Notes

Fresh sage has a strong, earthy flavor that reminds me of Thanksgiving. That’s pretty much the only time I think of it, infusing that herbal aroma into stuffing, gravy, and meatless roasts. Sage is most at home in Mediterranean, American, and British cuisine, adding a subtly peppery, piney, citrus-y flavor that’s unlike any other. This combination makes it an especially compelling addition to dishes with dark leafy greens, mushrooms, lemon, garlic, browned butter, and toasted nuts.

Ideas For Cooking With Sage

If you have a more reasonable amount of fresh sage, perhaps leftover from another dish, here are a few quick, simple ideas for using it up:

  • Compound butter: Cream softened vegan butter with chopped sage, garlic, and/or lemon zest. Roll the mixture into a log with plastic wrap, chill until firm, and slice for a flavorful addition to any dish.
  • Stuffing: Add chopped sage to your favorite stuffing recipe, be it cornbread, wild rice, sourdough, and beyond.
  • Soups and stews: Sage is a great addition to hearty soups and stews, especially bean soups, lentil soups, and potato leek soup.
  • Creamy grain dishes: Sage pairs well with the richness of plant-based cream or coconut milk. Try adding it to pasta dishes with cream sauce, risotto, or polenta.
  • Roasted vegetables: Toss chopped sage with butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, or other autumn or winter vegetables before roasting.
  • Fried sage leaves: Fry whole sage leaves in olive oil until crisp. These make a delicious, fragrant garnish for pasta dishes, soups, or roasted vegetables.

Quick Tip For Substituting Fresh Sage

Fresh sage has a stronger flavor than dried, so you’ll generally use less of it. A good rule of thumb is to start with 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage for every 1 teaspoon of dried sage called for in a recipe. Bear in mind that sage can become bitter and overpowering if cooked for too long. Incorporate it into your dishes towards the end of cooking to preserve the best elements of its flavor.

Taming A Ton Of Fresh Sage

If you, like me, have an insane wealth of fresh sage, it’s a different story. You really can’t just hammer it into a single dish; it’s already so strong, it would make your meal inedible. That said, pesto is my go-to move, especially when you can diffuse the sage with an equal measure of parsley. While the vibrant green paste is still incredibly powerful, you can safely freeze your pesto for future enjoyment, rather than letting the leaves wither outside in the brutal summer sun.

Of course, that’s not the end of the story. What can you do with sage pesto? I’m so glad you asked! Naturally, anywhere you’d use basil pesto, you can use sage pesto instead. That includes:

  • Pasta: Toss cooked pasta with sage pesto and you can serve it either hot or cold. When chilled, this is a great picnic side dish or guest at a potluck.
  • Pizza: Spread a thin layer of sage pesto over pizza dough instead of red sauce before adding your favorite toppings.
  • Toast: Toast your favorite sliced bread and spread with sage pesto for a delightful appetizer or snack. Obviously, sliced avocado would be an excellent addition, as would roasted tomatoes or pico de gallo.

  • Sandwiches and wraps: Add a spread of sage pesto to elevate your sandwiches and wraps. It pairs particularly well with roasted vegetables.
  • Eggless scrambles or omelets: Fold sage pesto into the scramble right at the last minute, or spread it on the inside of an omelet just before serving. Alternately, dollop or drizzle on top for immediate flavor impact.
  • Soup topping: Stir a spoonful of sage pesto into bowls of tomato soup, minestrone, or creamy potato leek soup for an extra layer of savory goodness.
  • Marinade: Toss tofu, tempeh, seitan, or your favorite meatless protein with sage pesto and let marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking. The pesto adds both flavor and moisture to the protein.
  • Dip: Thin out sage pesto with hummus, plant-based sour cream, or yogurt for a excellent accompaniment to crackers and crudites.

While I’m still waiting to wake up from this dream, I sure hope that day never comes. I’ve grown quite fond of this new life, including all the sage it brings.

Continue reading “Sage Advice” →

Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments