Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [43]
• You can plant several different herbs in one pot; just be sure to give them a little space. I usually plant dill, coriander, and mint in the same planter.
• Some plants will survive the winter inside. I bring my rosemary plant inside to a sunny window during the coldest part of winter and water it regularly. Lemon verbena, lemongrass, pineapple sage, and lavender are also known for lasting inside from year to year.
• Keep pets away from plants, as the following can be toxic: chives, scallions, garlic, tomatoes, and potatoes. If you don’t want to constantly monitor pets, try building a barrier around the plants using wire netting from a hardware store, or cutting out the top and bottom of a large plastic yogurt container and lodging it in the soil around the plant to form a wall.
• If you buy a seed packet, don’t dump all the seeds into the planter (yes, I made this mistake once). Too many plants in one container will compete for water, sunlight, and root space, so sprinkle seeds in moderation, making sure there is space in between.
• AeroGrow, an aeroponic system for growing herbs and plants indoors, can work well when you don’t have space with a lot of light. I’ve never used this, but friends have tried it with success.
Plant Heirlooms to Promote Biodiversity
An heirloom seed or plant is one that is genetically unique, selected by farmers over many generations from one harvest to the next based on looks, flavor, and heartiness. Many of these varieties were brought to the United States by immigrant farmers who wanted to bring their region’s particular kind of fig, apple, or tomato to grow in the New World.
Growing from heirloom seeds was once standard practice, but over the last sixty years traditional farming has given way to mass-produced hybrid varieties as agriculture has become centralized on large farms, and seeds have been bred to grow anywhere, ripen uniformly, and ship well.
The thousands of unique seed varieties used by small farmers have been reduced in the case of some fruits and vegetables to fewer than ten. This is a significant loss, as heirlooms have developed a natural resistance to regional pests and diseases that mass-produced hybrid seeds have not. Without the genetic diversity of heirlooms, food production is vulnerable to epidemics and infestations.
The Irish potato famine, responsible for the starvation and displacement of millions of people, demonstrates the critical need to keep a wide variety of plant species integrated into our agriculture and diet. In the 1840s, potatoes were the main source of food for Irish peasants. They grew millions of potatoes, but all were of only one variety, called the “lumper.” In 1845, a fungus swept through the country that caused the potatoes to rot shortly after being picked. If there had been different types of potatoes growing when the fungus attacked, some would have been immune to the disease, and those with resistant genes could have been planted.
The best way to ensure that heirlooms survive is by planting them in your own little garden. They may have quirky characteristics like bumps and cracks, or keep for a short amount of time after being picked, but the flavor is worth it. Plus, you’ll be doing the world a big favor; planting heirloom fruits and vegetables helps the whole species to thrive, not just the one kind you are planting, and it helps to safeguard us against the dangers of a monocrop.
There are thousands of heirloom seeds available, many with poetic names evocative of history and nature: “Cherokee Trail of Tears” pole bean, carried by the Cherokee on their journey of displacement in the 1830s; “Moon and Stars” watermelon, bred by the Amish and named for the bright yellow spots on the leaves and rind of the fruit; and “Washday” peas, known to cook up fast for an easy meal on busy days. There are several places online to find heirloom seeds and resources, including the websites listed in the Resources section. Or ask your gardener friends and get involved