The phrase “grocery gardening” has worked its way into the gardening lexicon thanks to the new book by Portland, Ore., food and garden writer Jean Ann Van Krevelen and her co-authors.
“Grocery Gardening” (2009 Cool Springs Press) is all about planting, preparing and preserving fresh food.
Most gardeners already know growing their own groceries helps reduce the family’s food costs, but frugal gardeners can save even more at the store by planting vegetables and herbs that play several roles in the kitchen.
“Double-duty edibles not only stretch the dollar, but they stretch the flavor profile, too,” says Van Krevelen. “Different parts of a plant, from its roots all the way to its seeds, can have different tastes. For example, compare the mild, sweet taste of fresh fennel to the stronger anise flavor of fennel seeds.”
Van Krevelen says one of the important points to remember about double-duty plants is that some are double-duty only part of the time.
“It’s important to know when to harvest what parts of the plant for best flavor and limited damage to the growing plant,” she said.
Here are some double-duty plants to try in your frugal garden:
Garlic and garlic scapes
To get more from garlic, plant hardneck varieties that produce a central flower stalk. The stalk, called the scape, can be snipped after it’s curled into a loop or two and grilled, steamed or chopped for stir fry recipes. Cutting the scape directs energy to growing larger garlic bulbs. Leave one flower stalk intact; garlic is ready to harvest when the stalk stands straight up.
Cilantro and coriander
Even if you didn’t know coriander seeds come from the cilantro plant, you’d find out quickly enough because cilantro grows so fast. Plant cilantro every few weeks to ensure a continuous supply of leaves, and let a few plants go to seed to dry for cooking.
Dill weed and dill seed
The International Herb Association selected dill as the 2010 herb of the year for its culinary uses, especially in pickling. Use dill’s fresh ferny fronds in dips, on fish or in dressings. After seedheads form, harvest the plant and dry with a paper bag over the heads to collect seed. Leave a few plants standing to self-seed in the garden for next season. Use the seeds you’ve saved for fragrant breads or when you can pickles.
Beets and beet greens
Some people have grown beets for years before discovering the greens are delicious, too.
Plant a long row of beets, and you’ll be able to grow several pounds of greens to use in salads, for steaming or sauteing. Harvest some of the greens while they’re tender and about 4-6 inches tall; leave beet roots to grow to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter.
Chive greens and flowers
Because chives are perennial, they’ll return to the garden or container every year. Use chives throughout the season to add a delicate oniony flavor to recipes. Clip the bright purple flowers while still tender and toss with summer salads. Just wash and pull apart into individual florets.
Fennel fronds, seeds, bulbs
Fennel is a triple-duty plant because the fronds, seeds and bulbs can all be used in cooking. Be sure to plant bulbing varieties like “Florence,” “Zefa Fino” or “Perfection.”
The recipe at right for braised fennel can be adapted to use fennel in all three ways. Just sprinkle fennel seeds into the casserole before baking, and add fresh fronds to the dish right before serving.
Read more of Jodi Torpey’s writing at or follow her on Twitter @westerngardener.
Braised Fennel
From “Grocery Gardening,” by Jean Ann Van Krevelan, reprinted with permission.
Ingredients
4 fennel bulbs, washed and quartered, tough outer leaves discarded
3½ tablespoon butter
1½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1½ cups grated Gruyère cheese
3½ tablespoons melted butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the fennel, cut side down in a large casserole dish. Dot with the cold butter; add the stock, salt, and pepper. Bake 45 minutes until the fennel is tender yet firm. Drain the butter and juices from the casserole dish. Place the fennel back in the casserole dish, cut side up. Sprinkle with the Gruyère cheese and the melted butter. Bake 10 minutes. Switch to broiler heat and broil until golden brown.
