Picture this-scene: standing in your potager garden, morning sun peking at your cheek, basket swinging off your wrist. Today is going to be a good haul, but, man, it would be so much fun to throw a few finicky surprises in the mix. Ah, fine-now that that’s off my chest-let’s get down and dirty: throw in some culinary wildcards bound and determined to blow flavor buds into the stratosphere. First, there is the brilliant cucamelon: cute combinations of cucumber and melon, marble-sized beauties that burst in the mouth with a taste that is citrusy, nibbling on limes just off the vine!
For such a mild, mild world of vegetables, cucamelons have owned being one of a kind and ran with it. They are tough boys, really-resistant to just a little bit of sun and some time. Chop ’em up and toss them in a salad, pop them into your cocktail, or munch them fresh off the plant. Your summer soiree awaits!
Cast the net a little wider, and that’s when the rather curious world of oca comes in. Originally from the Andes, these coloured tubers range in all shades of red, yellow, and pink. It has this zest-somewhere between the tartness of an apple and the earthiness of a potato. Roast them, boil them, it is like a little firework in a dish. Not diabolically hard, but they too do demand just a little dirt love. Grow them and watch your kitchen guests play the guessing game of ‘what’s the secret ingredient’.
Why not? Go big or go home, right? Why not just throw some salsify in there.
Dubbed the “oyster plant,” this root boasts a delicate seafood flavor without the shucking fuss. And if that weren’t enough, it’s just so awesomely easy to deal with-for soups, pur es, or even fried into crispy fritters, salsify does it all. It especially likes a cool, cozy underground retreat and will be perfect for an autumn staple. You just might sing its praise across dinner parties without serving oysters. He thus learned about the Egyptian walking onion-a perennial favorite.
These guys take this strolling very seriously. They grow on tall, sprawling, bending-and-rooting stalks, spreading out as if moving in different directions all over your yard. Reap from them all year round with no need ever to have to buy store-bought onions again. Their story just makes for a good dinner-time story-onions taking their scenic route! And then there is Malabar spinach-what a treasure it is.
Do not burst out laughing once its name is mentioned; this is not Popeye’s spinach.
A climber that does not back off from the sight of the sun and has summer heart-shaped leaves, one that may romance salads, but with nutrition to boot, gives and gives. What garden doesn’t like a little spice? Say hello to the beautiful nasturtium. Its flower, its leaf – a real gastronomic wonder! Be it flowers or leaves, both retain the peppery note responsible for kicking up whatever dish, from soups to sandwiches. They color up the garden, too, announcing their presence far and wide to every eye and palate.
Growing the Exotic: From Novice to Connoisseur
Picture, then, an intensely exotic potager-a gathering of such plants that seem almost to leap from the page of some horticultural fairy tale. This is a view that can turn even the most unprepossessing patio into a slice of Eden. But such showstoppers don’t grow out of just throwing seeds in the air and letting chance do their magic. Nuh-uh, these are rare plants; they need a little special handling, quite rightly so. It was like hosting the rock stars of all flowers in a garden, each with their particular quirk, diva moments, and special stories of ancestry, some coming from rain-soaked tropics, others from sun-baked deserts.
What’s the secret to prevent them from throwing a tantrum and wilting upon you?
First and foremost-keep in mind that soil isn’t dirt, but rather a lush, nutrient-filled home for your plants.
You wouldn’t want to sleep on cold concrete, either. Plants may be the same: a good mix of soils could easily be everything. While some exotic varieties may enjoy a sandy mix, other plants love that loamy feel. Feeling like a soil whisperer yet? Good, because your plants sure will appreciate it. Speaking of H2O, the literal lifeblood of your leafy wonders, it’s a little like tending bar-you gotta know how much is too much or too little.
If you overwater them, exotics get all droopy-dramatic; underwater, well, they will have exactly the same look my cat does when I’m fresh out of treats.
But the key is in observing it-being able to say what it is, just without changing a garden into a swamp. Master another riff in your gardening symphony-lighting. Just like that one friend who needs to get a shot in perfect light for Instagram, your plants have their preferences: some want full-on virgin sun, while others want to chill in partial shade. Now set the scene for performance, carrying on with which of your plants will be the star performers and which ones will be content to stay in the chorus. Ah, feeding schedules-they are like the gourmet phase of gardening. The exotic plants have a taste for the finest things in life-no generic fertilizers for these prima donnas. Give them a special plant food diet that doesn’t make them feel it’s Tuesday dinner at home. Trust me, they shine bright, stand tall, and probably give you a flower or two back sassy.
Then there is the love-hate affair with humidity: so many exotics go to heaven just with that little bit of moisture in the air, reminding them of some sort of tropical oasis. Think of a girlfriend who always has moisturizer in her pocket or purse-that’s your exotic plant. A little spray here, a little spray there, and bingo, it’s virtual Eden. Finally, the not-so-sexy-but-oh-so-necessary final piece of the puzzle: maintenance, pruning, trimming-all that stuff that really makes one think of a mad scientist, mainly when you have no idea which branch to snip.
