Lush and Tasty

By / Food / July 8th, 2010 / 2

When we were house-hunting years ago, one of the most important must-haves on our list was a backyard big enough to support a garden. Growing our own herbs, fruits and vegetables was important. Food so much better (lush and tasty, actually) when it’s left to ripen until the last possible minute, and besides, gardening is a lot of fun. Well, it took some time, but we managed to find a house that had pretty much everything we were hoping to find, including a large backyard replete with one peach tree, one apple tree and two pear trees. The peach and apple trees didn’t survive, but the pear trees have. Not only do they grow bushelfulls of pears each year, but a robin family now calls one of them home.

herb_garden

Chives, mint, thyme, sage, rosemary and basil — if only Southern Ontario was graced by a warmer climate so I could enjoy these all year round. Herbs are very easy to grow in containers, too. They’re fairly forgiving and love to be cut back. My only complaint? Weeds. I seem to lack the discipline required to keep weeds perpetually at bay, so sometimes the poor garden is overrun. Use herbs in everything – to marinate meat, in drinks and in ice cream.

canteloupe_flower

This year’s experiment: cantaloupe.

tomatoes

This is an heirloom tomato variety called Krim. It will produce purplish-black fruit.

Can’t ignore the patio! The fig and Meyer lemon plants below live in containers that can easily be moved into the house for the winter.

fig

lemon

Lots of blooms on the lemon bush, and a few baby lemons, too!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosemary Mantini has always loved words. When she isn't working as the Associate Editor at Tidings Magazine, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams, and sometimes she even relaxes with a good book and a glass of wine.

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