Video: British Columbia Garden - Part 1

(Part One of Three) Take a tour of Dr. Weil’s summer garden in British Columbia. Filled with fruits, vegetables and flowers, there is always a bountiful supply of food for body and soul.

 

Watch Part Two and Part Three.

See all of Dr. Weil’s videos here.

Video Transcript: British Columbia Garden – Part 1

These are alpine strawberries that have self-seeded here, or birds have dropped them, and the fruits are a yellowish white and taste like pineapple. One of the advantages of them is that birds can’t see the fruits, so you don’t have to protect them. In the front bed here I have leeks, not yet mature. This is heliotrope which has a delicious smell, like cookies, used as a source of essential oils for perfumes. And my dogs love to snack on these, even though the book says they’re poisonous. It doesn’t seem to be doing them any harm; it’s their favorite thing to eat. This is a plant called Tigridia (Mexican Shellflower). There’s one opened yesterday. You’ll probably see one later today; they’re gorgeous. These are edible pinks, related to carnations, which have a clove scent; also can be flowers used in cooking. This is valerian, source of the sedative. The root is the part that’s used. Wonderful corn, which is now just making ears, and will be ready in maybe 3 weeks. This is a variety called Serendipity that I found and that Norrie and I found works best in our climate, in our zone.
This is horseradish, which I established a year ago. It’s, you know, people say once this is planted you can never eradicate it. Horseradish clears the sinuses. It liquefies bronchial secretions. Great if you have chest congestion and I just love the flavor. I have a lone eggplant and pepper here; they struggle in this climate. So with luck they’ll mature. These are beets, some of which are almost ready to harvest. They’re rich in phyto-protective pigments, fiber. The tomatoes… again it’s tricky up here to figure out which varieties do best. This year I’m growing a lot of Brandywine tomatoes, which I think have the best flavor and they seem to do well here, although they mature late. And this is shiso, the green shiso, Japanese. It’s in the mint family and you get it with sushi, pickles. It has a very distinctive taste. Nasturtiums, edible flowers and leaves, spicy. I don’t usually use the leaves, I decorate with them. The flowers are good. Related to watercress.