Potager Garden

A French Kitchen Garden

Radish: photo by Cliff Hutson

The French kitchen garden or potager, has mixed vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs dates back to medieval times. It is, at heart, basically an ornamental vegetable garden that is productive yet ornamental. Often flowers (edible and non-edible) and herbs are planted with the vegetables to enhance the beauty. The goal is to make the function of providing food aesthetically pleasing.

Plant What You'll Eat

A potager should be designed to bring beauty into the utilitarian food garden, so start by planting what you like to eat and cook.

These are some of the plants that we have used over the years:

Radishes

Garden Fresh: photo by Cliff Hutson

Radishes come in numerous varieties, varying in size, flavor, and color. They can be eaten fresh, roasted, sautéd, or pickled.

Basil

Basil: photo by Cliff Hutson

Basil is a fragrant herb that tastes great in many dishes—especially homemade pesto. 

Chile de Arbol Peppers

Chile de Arbol Peppers: photo by Cliff Hutson

Chile de Árbol means "tree chili" in Spanish, a name which refers to the woody stem of the pepper. They are small and thin Mexican peppers, growing to 2-3 inches long and less than a ½ inch wide. When they mature to a bright, vibrant red, they are ready to be used.

Chives

Chives in Flower: photo by Cliff Hutson

A perennial plant that is a small relative of the onion. The leaves and flowers are both edible. 

Eggplant 

Eggplant Basket: photo by Cliff Hutson

An annual vegetable, few vegetable plants are handsomer than eggplant. My favorite way to consume the fruit is Eggplant Parmesan.

Parsley

Bolted Parsley: photo by Cliff Hutson

Parsley is a popular herb often used in American, European, and Middle Eastern cooking. Not really all that attractive when it flowers, the leaves of many varieties can be quite ornamental as well as tasty.  Use them to elevate the flavor of dishes like soups, salads, and fish recipes.

Squash

Summer Squash: photo by Cliff Hutson

This edible annual comes in two forms:  Summer squash which is picked and cooked in an immature stage such as scalloped white squash, yellow crookneck, and zucchini. And, winter squash which have hard rinds. We prefer the former. 

Tomatoes

Tomatoes: photo by Cliff Hutson

The tomato is a gift to Europe from the "New World" as a part of the Columbian Exchange . (The Eastern Hemisphere got tomatoes, chili peppers, cacao, peanuts, and corn. The people living in the Americas got smallpox, measles, typhus, and cholera. But, that is another post.)

It is difficult for some of us to think of life without tomatoes. They may be the most widely grown garden plants edible or otherwise. As my Aunt Dagmar was won't to say, "There are only two things that money can't buy. One is true love. The other is homegrown tomatoes."

Tomato Flower: photo by Cliff Hutson