Plants & Gardens Blog

Sweet, crunchy, juicy snap peas are a special seasonal treat. Grow your own or look for them at the farmers’ market under their French nickname, mange-touts. Read › Eat Local: Snap Peas and Garlic Scape Mint Dip

Christopher Bolden-Newsome talks about the enduring legacy of traditional African food, crops, and agricultural technique in his keynote address during this year’s Making Brooklyn Bloom. Read › Preserving African Heritage through Plants and Agriculture

What better way to celebrate the fall season than with some apple-themed recipes? Read › Warm Up with Apple Butter and Cinnamon Apple Chips (Recipes)

Junior Botanist and Plant Investigator participants competed in a salsa making contest. What were their secret ingredients? Read › Four Delicious Salsas Created in the Children’s Garden

Beware! Stinging nettle lives up to its name. This common weed's tiny, needlelike hairs contain irritating compounds. Woe to those who touch it. Read › Weed of the Month: Stinging Nettle

Quick pickling is easy and doesn't require any special equipment. One basic recipe can work for a whole host of options, from caraway pickled strawberries to French breakfast radishes with cilantro. Read › Eat Local: Quick Pickling Primer for Fruit or Vegetables

Persimmons are in season now. Learn how to tell when they're ripe, and try this recipe for honey-roasted spiced persimmons on toast. Read › Eat Local: How to Shop for and Prepare Persimmons

Sweet potatoes and yams aren't even in the same plant family, and they have important culinary differences, too. Only sweet potatoes can be used in this delicious pie recipe. Read › Eat Local: Sweet Potato versus Yam—a Primer with a Pie Recipe

Wild rocket is a mustard-family cousin of arugula that grows like a weed. It has pretty flowers and peppery leaves, both of which can be used in this tasty soup. Read › Eat Local: Wild Rocket and Lettuce Soup

Purslane runs up to $10 a pound at the farmers' market, but you're likely to find it growing as a garden weed. Its peppery, succulent leaves are nutritious and great in dishes like tzatziki. Read › Weed of the Month: Purslane