Tendersweet Carrot Seeds: Growing One of the Sweetest Roots in Your Garden
Meet the Tendersweet Carrot Tendersweet carrot is an old American heirloom with a simple promise in its name. The roots grow long and slim, about 9–10 inches, with a rich orange color and almost no tough core. The texture is fine and crisp. The flavor is very sweet, often compared to candy at the dinner…
Broccoli Microgreens: Tiny Greens With Big Power
Broccoli makes a wonderful microgreen. It is easy to grow, fast to harvest, and full of a mild, fresh flavor that tastes like soft baby broccoli or cabbage. Instead of needing a big garden bed and a long season, you get tender greens in about a week and a half, right on your counter. In…
Sempervivum: Hens and Chicks That Laugh At The Cold
Sempervivum looks like living jewelry. Tight rosettes sit on rock walls, in old clay pots, or tucked into cracks in concrete. Colors shift from lime green to copper, wine red, or smoky purple. Baby rosettes appear around the edges like a little family circling a parent. These plants have a simple common name that many…
Sedum: The Easy-Care Succulent Workhorse For American Gardens
Sedum is one of those plants that quietly solves problems in a yard.It covers bare soil, shrugs off heat, feeds pollinators, and still looks good when other perennials fade. Across the United States, gardeners use sedum in rock gardens, front-yard xeriscapes, pots on balconies, and even on green roofs over city sidewalks. These tough little…
Echeveria: Rosette Succulents That Look Like Living Flowers
If you’ve ever seen a plant that looks like a perfect flower made of leaves, you’ve probably met an Echeveria. These little rosettes sit on windowsills, rock walls, and patio tables. They come in soft blues, frosty greens, lilacs, pink edges, and even ruffled shapes that look like tiny cabbages. They’re tough, low-water succulents. But…
Agave In America: From Tough Desert Plant To Sweetener And Spirit
Agave sits at a crossroads of a lot of things we care about in the United States right now.It is a dramatic landscape plant.It is the base of tequila and mezcal.It is also the source of that pale gold “healthy” syrup on grocery shelves. Same plant family. Very different stories. In the Southwest you see…
Xocolatl: The Ancient Drink That Inspired Chocolate
Picture a clay cup in someone’s hands more than 1,500 years ago.Inside, a dark drink swirls. It smells like roasted beans, smoke, flowers, and chile. The top is crowned with a thick layer of foam. The liquid is bitter, strong, and full of energy. That drink is xocolatl. It is the ancestor of the hot…
Xoi: Sticky Rice With Many Personalities
Xoi is Vietnam’s way of saying sticky rice, and it has more moods than a whole shelf of breakfast cereal. In one bowl it feels like comfort food. In another it looks like a festival. In a third it acts like a full meal with meat, pickles, and herbs. Under all those toppings and colors,…
Xidoufen: Yunnan’s Golden Pea Soup From Street Stall To Your Stove
When you lift a spoon of xidoufen, it feels thick and silky at the same time. The color is pale gold. On top, you see a bright scatter of chili, garlic, and herbs. One sip gives you warmth from the peas, a little tingle from Sichuan pepper, and a sour edge that wakes you up.…
Xampinyons: The Humble Catalan Mushrooms That Fit Right Into American Kitchens
Getting To Know Xampinyons Xampinyons is the Catalan word for mushrooms, and in everyday cooking it usually means the same white button mushrooms you and I see in grocery stores, known to science as Agaricus bisporus. In Catalonia, people use xampinyons in cozy bar plates, slow stews, and simple home dishes. One famous tapa is…