Harvest: Unexpected Projects Using 47 Extraordinary Garden Plants

224 Pages·2017·0.66 MB·English

by  Stefani Bittner

Text copyright © 2017 by Homestead Design Collective, LLC
Photographs copyright © 2017 by David Fenton
All rights reserved.Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an
imprint o� the Crown Publishing Group, a division o� Penguin Random
House LLC, New York
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered
trademarks o� Penguin Random House LLC.
Library o� Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bittner, Ste�ani, 1969- author. | Harampolis, Alethea.
Title: Harvest : unexpected projects using 47 extraordinary garden plants
/ Ste�ani Bittner & Alethea Harampolis ; photography by David Fenton.
Description: First edition. | Berkeley : Ten Speed Press, [2017] | Includes
bibliographical re�erences and index.
Identi�iers: LCCN 2016029813 (print) | LCCN 2016037529 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Cooking (Herbs) | Flower arrangement. | Herbal
cosmetics. | Medicinal plants. | Plant products. | Gardening.
Classi�ication: LCC TX819.H4 B58 2017 (print) | LCC TX819.H4 (ebook) | DDC
641.6/57—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016029813
Hardcover ISBN 9780399578335
Ebook ISBN 9780399578342
v4.1
prh
Foreword
Introduction
EARLY
RHUBARB
Small-Batch, Quick-Pickled Rhubarb
BREADSEED POPPY
Poppy Seed Dressing
LILAC
Lilac Flower Cream
APPLE & CRABAPPLE
Branch Arrangement
BACHELOR’S BUTTONS
Blooming Butter
SALAD BURNET
Early-Season Herb Salad
ARTICHOKE & CARDOON
Artichoke Arrangement
PEPPERMINT CANDY FLOWER
Edible Flower–Pressed Cheese
ELDERBERRY
Elder�lower-In�used Honey
BLACK CUMIN
Warmed Olives with Black Cumin Seeds
FEVERFEW
Fever�ew Tea Bundles
APRICOT
Apricot Facial Mask
MID
SCENTED GERANIUM
Scented Geranium Sugar
OREGANO
Edible Flower–In�used Vinegar
LAVENDER
Lavender & Mint Tea
ALPINE STRAWBERRY
Alpine Strawberry & Friends Posy
PURPLE CONEFLOWER
Gardener’s Salve
ANISE HYSSOP
Anise Hyssop Iced Tea
BLUEBERRY
Blueberry Dye
FLOWERING BASILS
Flowering Basil Arrangement
GEM MARIGOLDS
Marigold Bitters (Amaro)
LEMONGRASS
Lemongrass Salt Scrub
ROSE
Rosewater Facial Toner
YARROW
Yarrow Herbal Tincture
BLACKBERRY
Summer Prunings Arrangement
LEMON BEE BALM
Lemon Bee Balm Tea
AMARANTH
Midseason Herb Salad
THYME
Custom Herb Blends
CALAMINTHA
Herb & Hive Lip Balm
HUCKLEBERRY
Huckleberry Shrub
DWARF WINTER SAVORY
Salt-Preserved Herbs
LATE
QUINCE
Quince Paste
ASIAN PERSIMMON
Persimmon Wreath
PINEAPPLE GUAVA
Pineapple Guava Simple Syrup
‘BERGGARTEN’ SAGE
Sage Garland
SHUNGIKU
Late-Season Herb Salad
AUSTRALIAN FINGER LIME
Papa’s Finger Lime Gin & Tonic
CHILEAN GUAVA
Petite Ugni Arrangement
CHINOTTO ORANGE
Vin d’Orange
TURMERIC
Turmeric Dye
VIOLA
Edible Flower–In�used Water
BORAGE
Edible Flower Garnish
BAY LAUREL
Bay Laurel Kitchen Wreath
ROSEMARY
Smudge Sticks
POMEGRANATE
Pomegranate Margarita
MASHUA
Tuber Mash
CALENDULA
Calendula-In�used Essential Oil
Project Ingredient Alternatives
Terms & Techniques
Resources
Acknowledgments
Index

FOREWORD
I once believed that clipping branches and blooms to bring indoors was
akin to denuding my garden. But about ten years ago, I began to interview
America’s �lower �armers and their customers—�loral designers devoted to
and creatively �ueled by domestic and local botanicals. Mesmerized by
their uncommon �loral crops, I began to regard the incredible beauty o� my
own backyard �or all o� its potential. That meant enjoying not just the small
quantity o� �ood (berries, herbs, and vegetables) that my kitchen garden
produced, but appreciating its abundance by displaying garden greenery
and �lowers in my vases.
This new-old philosophy o� living with my garden’s generous harvest is
best learned �rom true practitioners, such as Ste�ani Bittner and Alethea
Harampolis o� Homestead Design Collective. These women are also
proponents o� good design, and they adhere to the guiding philosophy o�
choosing plants at once both ornamental and use�ul. Although not �arms
by any means, our urban and suburban backyards should be used in their
entirety, say Ste�ani and Alethea. The culinary world has its own “nose-to-
tail” way o� eating, and Harvest, the book you hold in your hands,
introduces the gardener’s version o� that idea—call it a “�ruit-to-root” way
o� growing—with an appreciation �or all parts o� the plant, �rom the �irst
tender shoots in spring to the pods and hips o� late �all.
I’ve learned so much �rom these two pioneers. Ste�ani is a role model �or
landscape designers, inspiring her harvest-minded clients to turn their
once-unproductive yards into proli�ic (and lovely) sources o� edible bounty.
Alethea is a role model among the �armer-�lorist crowd, blending edibles
with ornamentals, aromatics with the wild �oraged, houseplants with
weeds—all to create dramatic, moody, seasonal �lorals �or everyday decor
and magni�icent occasions.
In Harvest, they celebrate the Slow Food movement on a highly personal
scale, integrated with a Slow Flowers ethos. When edibles meet botanicals,
we live intentionally with plants throughout the seasons. And when you
embrace this practice, you will be richly rewarded by your garden.
Nothing is more local, more seasonal, or more sustainable than using what
we grow. This is the central message o� Harvest. The �orty-seven plants
and their accompanying projects recommended by Ste�ani and Alethea will
inspire you to grab your trowel and head straight to the garden. Why rely
on the supermarket or big-box store �or a centerpiece? The ingredients are
at your �ingertips in all �our seasons, whether they be twigs and boughs in
winter or lush summer blossoms. Mark the seasons with creativity, inspired
by the garden. Feed yoursel� and your household in inventive ways. Those
e�orts also bene�it nature around you, ensuring that wildli�e sips at the
nectar cup, pollinators �ind �ood, birds nibble on seeds, and bene�icial
creatures thrive.
A�er I became enthralled with (or, to be truth�ul, I �ell down the rabbit hole
o�) the world o� �lower �arming, I never viewed a cut �lower without
considering who grew it and where it was grown. I don’t want �lowers �rom
hal�way around the calendar year, not to mention hal�way around the
globe. And there is no reason you should, either.
I wrote a book about this concept, The 50 Mile Bouquet, suggesting that, as
we do with our �ood choices, we should source our �lowers close to home.
Now, equipped and inspired by the wisdom o� Ste�ani and Alethea, you can
create a “�ive-step bouquet” that is truly seasonal and local, a re�lection o�
your own relationship with the ground on which you live. Eat, smell, touch,
and see the beauty o� your harvest—and �eel all o� your senses.
DEBRA PRINZING, author, speaker, podcaster, and creator o�
Slow�lowers.com