a talk byErica Smith

Montgomer y County Master Gardener

PURPLE CARROT PEOPLE

HOW MASTER GARDENERS FIT IN

Many resources avai lable at Home and Garden Informat io n Center, also par t of Universi ty of Mary land Extension

Our Vision:

A healthier world through environmental stewardship.

Our Mission:

To support the University of Maryland Extension mission by educating residents about safe, effective & sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, & communities.

Or something new and dif ferent?

WALTHAM BUTTERNUT

Indigo Blue Berries tomato Purple Viking potato

NOVELTY VEGETABLE SEEKING BEHAVIOR

THRILL-SEEKING

HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES:¡ Are open-pollinated ¡ Have a history of being

grown and shared in a culture, community, or family¡ Or could be heritage

commercial varieties

HEIRLOOMS

Tronchuda Cabbage/Portuguese Kale

PretzelBean

¡The first wild carrots were white¡Purple and yellow

carrots were domesticated in Central Asia¡Orange carrots were

developed in Holland in the 1500s

CARROT HISTORY

• Some purple all the way through

• Some have orange or yellow interiors

• All have anthocyanin pigments which produce red, purple, or blue colors in plants

PURPLE CARROTS

¡Have long-term perspective on crops¡Know what grows

well consistently¡Have deep cultural

knowledge¡Maintain heirloom

and themed gardens¡May have seed to

pass along!

TRIED-AND-TRUE GROWERS

¡Strike out into new territory¡Make the mistakes

so you don’t have to¡Are willing to listen

to what’s worked for you¡May have seed to

pass along!

PURPLE CARROT PEOPLE

Orange on the inside?

PURPLE CARROT PEOPLE

¡Of foreign origin or character; not native or naturalized

¡Having a strange or bizarre allure, beauty or quality

¡Of a uniquely new or experimental nature

“EXOTIC”

“EXOTIC”?

“EXOTIC”?

“ETHNIC”?

Or where what you eat comes from?

ARE YOU WHAT YOU EAT?

Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 16th century Italian

ASIA¡ Cucumber¡ Eggplant¡ Garlic¡ Coriander¡ Soybean¡ Basil¡ Mustard¡ Turnip

etc.

EUROPE¡ Artichoke¡ Cabbage¡ Dill¡ Rosemary¡ Asparagus¡ Parsnip¡ Lettuce¡ Chard

etc.

AFRICA§ Okra§ Watermelon§ Cowpea§ Yam§ Roselle Hibiscus§ Hyacinth Bean§ Sorghum§ Tamarind

etc.

NATIVE PLANTS

SOUTH AMERICA¡Beans (Phaseolus

including limas)¡Potatoes¡Sweet potatoes¡Tomatoes¡Peppers¡Peanuts

etc.

N./CENTRAL AMERICA¡Beans (Phaseolus)¡Squash¡Corn¡Sunflowers¡Pawpaws¡Blueberries¡Avocados

etc.

NATIVE PLANTS

Corn grown in Europe 16th

century

ARCIMBOLDOBRANCHES OUT

ORIGIN: AMERICAS

ORIGIN: EVERYWHERE ELSE

DERWOOD DEMONSTRATION GARDEN

Aji Limon Pepper Red Noodle Yardlong Bean

PLANTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Bitter gourd Luf fa

TROPICAL SUMMER

Red Giant MustardDesiree Dwarf Blauwschokkers

Garden Pea

BEAUTIFUL VEGETABLES

¡ Start with small quantities of anything new¡ Try it out at a restaurant first¡ Seek out cookbooks for recipes (use the library!)¡ Grow varieties of things your family already likes¡Do some research into the history of the plant – tell

stories!¡ Have kids help you grow it

HOW DO I GET THEM TO EAT IT?

Books, blogs, magazines, seed catalogs, gardening fr iends, etc .

RESOURCES

VEGETABLE FAMILY LITERACY

Knowing vegetable families helps with:¡Understanding ideal

growing conditions¡Dealing with pests

and diseases¡Making culinary

decisions

Regular radish Rat-tailed radish

IF YOU LIKE X, TRY Y

IF CUCUMBERS…

¡Mexican sour gherkin; Melothria scabra¡Grape-size fruit,

mildly sour cucumber flavor¡8-ft vine, needs

support, full sun, plant out mid-May, few pest or disease problems¡Great plant for kids

…THEN MOUSE MELONS

EATING MOUSE MELONS

¡ Use in salads or for healthy snacks¡ Great for pickling¡ Try the mouse melon

martini!

IF ZUCCHINI…

…THEN TROMBONCINO SQUASH

¡ Cucurbita moschatatype; pest-resistant¡ Also called zucchetta or

zucchino rampicante¡ Can get large, so pick

small!¡ Summer squash flavor,

but will mature to mild winter squash¡ Prolific but not TOO

prolific

RAMPICANTE, YOU SAID?

FASHION STATEMENT!

FESTIVE DECORATION

IF CABBAGE, THEN [PURPLE] PAK CHOI

Brassica oleracea¡ Broccoli¡ Brussels sprouts¡ Cabbage¡ Cauliflower¡ Collards¡ Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli)¡ Kale¡ Kohlrabi

Brassica juncea¡ Indian mustard

Brassica napus¡ Rutabaga¡ Some kales

Brassica rapa¡ Chinese cabbage¡ Komatsuna¡ Mizuna¡ Pak choi¡ Rapini¡ Tatsoi¡ Turnip

A DIGRESSION INTO BRASSICAS

¡ Brassica oleraceagongylodes¡ Name from German

Kohl, cabbage; Swiss German Rabi, turnip¡ Also called cabbage

turnip, stem cabbage¡ Bred for swollen stem¡ Eat raw or cooked¡ Leaves are edible¡ Comes in purple!

KOHLRABI

IF LETTUCE…

¡Also called Miner’s Lettuce¡Native to North

American West Coast¡Prefers cool

temperatures¡Low-growing; will

self-seed

…THEN CLAYTONIA

…OR ORACH…

…OR TOKYO BEKANA GREENS

IF SPINACH…

New Zealand Spinach Malabar Spinach

THEN SWITCH IN SUMMER TO…

IF CARROTS…

¡ Tragopogon porrifolius¡ Known as “oyster plant”¡ European origin¡ Long tapering roots;

needs loose soil¡ Grass-like foliage¡ Biennial

…THEN SALSIFY

IF CELERY, THEN CELERIAC

Why not purple potatoes?

IF YOU GROW POTATOES

Don ’ t forget to eat the leaves!

OR PURPLE SWEET POTATOES

COOKING WITH PURPLE SWEET POTATOES

IF DAHLIAS, OR APPLES…

¡ Tuberous plant native to Andes, in sunflower family¡ Big presence in the

garden¡ Crispy, slightly sweet

tubers harvested in fall¡ Store crown of plant

indoors in winter – not hardy so won’t spread like sunchoke¡ It’s not yucca, yuca, or

jicama!

…THEN YACÓN

YACÓN TUBERS

Cipollini onions “Egyptian” walking onion

IF ONIONS, THEN…

IF HOT PEPPERS…

…THEN FISH PEPPERS

¡African-American heirloom of Chesapeake region¡Traditionally used in

seafood dishes¡Medium-hot¡Variegated foliage¡Ornamental and

useful!

FISH PEPPERS

…OR NOT SO HOT PEPPERS

Trinidad Perfume

¡Small sweet multi-colored peppers¡Grown by African-

American artist Horace Pippin; shared with William Woys Weaver’s grandfather¡Prolific and heat-

tolerant

SWEET PEPPER: PIPPIN’S GOLDEN HONEY

¡Hibiscus sabdariffa¡Called sorrel, flor de

Jamaica, etc.¡Native to Africa¡Resembles its relative

okra¡Not hardy here; grow

as annual¡Dried or fresh sepals

or fruits used to make healthful infusions¡Leaves are edible

ROSELLE HIBISCUS

ROSELLE FRUITS AND INFUSION

How about “New To Me”?

“WEIRD”? “EXOTIC“?“ETHNIC”?“UNUSUAL”?

WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU?

Photo credits: Sabine Harvey, Wendy Kiang-Spray, Sam Korper, Darlene Nicholson, Robin Ritterhoff, Erica Smith, Nick Smith, Botanical Interests, EsbenHansen (123rf), Johnny’s Seeds, Kitazawa Seeds, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Oregon State University, Pixabay, See-Ming Lee (Flickr), Thompson and Morgan, University of Maryland Extension, USAID, Wikimedia Commons.

Montgomery County Master Gardener20th Anniversary

Annual Spring Conference

February 22, 2020

Save the Date