Multicultural Recipe Gardens a Horticulture Program

Designed by Kat Collier

A recipe garden provides the exact ingredients to a specific recipe so that the gardener will have everything they need to make their meal. For example, a guacamole garden would grow avocados, tomatoes, limes, ci-lantro, garlic, jalapeños, onions. Another example could be a spaghetti sauce garden, where one could grow onions, garlic, basil, beef steak to-

matoes, plum tomatoes, oregano.

Another way one could use a recipe garden is by growing crops specific to a culture, as a way to learn about one’s ancestry as well as others. This program aims to teach people not only to grow food, but also the food

that has been present in their bloodline. The cultures and cuisines this program represents are Italian, Mexican, Cuban, Brazilian, Chinese, and

German.

As different cultures’ recipe ingredients may not all be able to grow in only one raised bed as they will need various climates, the crops will be integrated and have a color label system in order to identify what cul-ture they are in. The gardeners could be working with people who have a different ancestry in a single bed, and the intimate space could spark conversation. This is a way for people to learn about each other’s own

ancestry, and to show how universal food is.

This program is set up so that each visitor will leave with a better un-derstanding of not only how to grow food from their past ancestors and

how they relate to their culture, but also a better understanding of oth-ers and their cultures. This fusion could even grow someone to have more

global empathy.

Introduction to Recipe Gardens

Phases of the ProgramEach phase in this horticulture program involves the exchange of knowledge in one way or the other.

These phases include: 1-Introduction to the Gardeners

2-Our Global Cuisines3-Tool Retrieval and Briefing

4-Sowing and Harvesting5-Washing and Drying

6-Reflecting 7-Documenting the Experience

Site Plan

This site plan is a map showing the multiple phases in this horticulture pro-gram that uses cultural

recipe gardens. Each phase is a different color and represents where the

gardeners are located in each step of the program. This map is supposed to show how people are

interacting within the program, as a way to

visualize the experience.

How can this be applied to my gardens site plan?

Despite the rigid structure this program might seem, it can actually be applied to any kind of garden set up. As long as there are garden beds,

rainwater collectors (or a form of irrigation and water access), tools, and a place to gather this program can be retrofitted. The garden beds should follow the integrated set up of the crops so the fellow gardeners still get to talk with each other and exchange information. There must be water ac-cess so that the harvested crops can be washed and also for irrigation in

the garden. There needs to be meeting space so that the group can gather and talk to plan, teach and learn. This place of gathering is also where most of the briefings for the cuisines and tool use, so it is important to have a space for that. Tools are necessary in order to have a successful garden,

and to also make things easier on the amateur gardeners who are just entering this program. The types of cuisines can be changed as well, as long as their is research done to make sure it works with the rest of the garden,

there should be no limit to what types of cuisines one can put in their multicultural garden.

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Introduction to the Gardeners

This phase is where the whole group partici-pating in this

program would gather to introduce themselves and their background. The group would be at

the gathering place around a central spot, in this case a large round table. In order to build trust, the participates may be asked to say something personal about themselves that makes them unique; building trust is important when it comes to collaborative

programs and should always be established in the beginning of each session.

Global CuisinesThis phase is where the group

separates into their micro garden cultures to get briefed on their

separate heritages’ foods. The groups are sepa-rated to avoid disengagement and to promote the exchange of this information when the group is

integrated again. The Next few pages contain some of what cuisines this multi-cultural garden would teach to the gardeners

Our Cuisines

Italian Cuisine

Wheat- Italy is famously known for its bread, pasta, pizza dishes. These are only possible with wheat, thus the reason why it has been chosen as a crop for this cultural recipe garden. The diverse variety of pasta includes noodles in various lengths, widths and shapes. Distinguished on shapes they are named —penne, macaroni, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, lasagne,

and varieties that can be filled or stuffed like ravioli or tortellini.

Tomatoes- Sauces and toppings Tomatoes were grown mainly as ornamentals early on after their arrival in Italy and were to be sought only for their beauty, grown only in gardens or flower beds. In areas where the climate supported growing toma-toes, their proximity of growing to the ground suggested low status and were not adopted as a staple of the peasant popu-lation. This was because they were not as filling as other fruits already available. Over the next several hundred years, unique varieties were developed for uses such as dried tomatoes, sauce tomatoes, pizza tomatoes, and tomatoes for long term

storage and is what made their reputation so prominent in the Italian culture today.

Artichokes- In Italy, artichoke hearts in oil are the usual vegetable for ‘spring’ section of the ‘Four Seasons’ pizza, a famously known recipe common in Italy. The leaves of an artichoke are often removed one at a time, and the fleshy base eat-en, with hollandaise, vinegar, butter, mayonnaise, aioli, lemon juice, or other sauces. The fibrous upper part of each leaf is usually discarded. The heart is eaten when the inedible choke has been peeled away from the base and discarded. The thin

leaves covering the choke are also edible.

Our Cuisines

Mexican Cuisine

Native Corn- Despite the introduction of wheat and rice to Mexico, the basic starch remains corn in almost all areas of the country. The most common way to eat corn in Mexico is in the form of a tortilla, which accompanies almost every dish. A

street form of corn calls for the vegetable to be rolled in butter, mayonnaise, cheese and cayenne pepper.

Beans- Beans are a summer crop that needs warm temperatures to grow, Native Americans customarily grew them along with corn and squash (the so-called Three Sisters), with the tall cornstalks acting as support for the beans. in Mexico, they

follow that practice for growing corn as well, but in this recipe garden corn is only being grown for the sake of space. It is suggested to grow these crops in this method as they provide the perfect nutrients for the soil.

Chili Peppers The importance of the chile goes back to the Mesoamerican period, where it was considered to be as much of a staple as corn and beans. Mexican food has a reputation for being very spicy, but its seasoning can be better described as strong. if a savory dish or snack does not contain chile pepper, hot sauce is usually added, and chile pepper is often add-

ed to fresh fruit and sweets.

Our Cuisines

Cuban Cuisine

Bananas- Bananas are usually eaten as a snack for their sweet taste and abundance. They are also used for dessert dishes and can be used for medicinal purposes in some cases.

Plantains- In Cuba, plantain chips are called mariquitas. They are sliced thinly, and fried in vegetable oil until golden colored. They are very popular appetizers served with a main dish.

The stated differences between bananas and plantains are that plantains more starchy and less sweet; they are eaten cooked rather than raw; they have thicker skin, which may be green, yellow or black; and they can be used at any stage of ripe-

ness.

Yuca Root- Instead of using corn to make tortillas, in the cuban cuisine they often use the yuca root. Also known as Casa-va, the yuca root is the third largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. Yuca is harvested by hand by raising the lower part of the stem and pulling the roots out of the ground, then removing them from the base of

the plant. The upper parts of the stems with the leaves are plucked off before harvest.

Our Cuisines

Brazilian Cuisine

Açaí- The açaí palm is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit and hearts of palm. Its name comes from the Bra-zilian Portuguese adaptation of the Tupian word ïwaca’i, ‘fruit that cries or expels water’. The fruit is mostly used for

fruit drinks or toppings.

Guava- The most frequently eaten species, and the one often simply referred to as “the guava”, is the apple guava. Guavas have tough dark leaves that are opposite, simple, elliptic to ovate and the flowers are white, with five petals and numer-ous stamens. A drink may be made from an infusion of guava fruits and leaves, which in Brazil is called chá-de-goiabeira,

i.e., “tea” of guava tree leaves, considered medicinal as well.

Papaya- Often used for juices in brazil, or eaten by itself for a snack. Papaya plants come in three sexes: “male,” “fe-male,” and “hermaphrodite.” The male produces only pollen, never fruit. The female will produce small, inedible fruits un-less pollinated. The fruit is ripe when it feels soft (as soft as a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained

an amber to orange hue.

Our Cuisines

Chinese Cuisine

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Bok Choy- The Chinese cabbage was principally grown in the Yangtze River Delta region and is also popular for its medicinal qualities. It is often used as a side dish and is most delicious when it is spiced.

Bean Sprouts- The typical bean sprout is made from the greenish-capped Mung beans and it only takes one week for them to be completely grown! The sprouted beans are more nutritious than the original beans and they require much less cooking time and, therefore, less fuel. In Chinese cuisine, common dishes that may use bean sprouts, known as Dòu Yá (“豆豆”), are fried

rice, spring rolls, egg drop soup and hot and sour soup.

Soybeans- Tofu is made of soybeans and is another popular food product that supplies protein. Other products such as soy milk, soy paste, soy oil, and fermented soy sauce are also important in Chinese cooking. The soy beans have to be picked

out of a shell, and can be a very calming process.

Our Cuisines

German Cuisine

Potatoes- Potatoes entered the German cuisine in the late 18th century, and were almost ubiquitous in the 19th century and since. They most often are boiled in salt water, (Salzkartoffeln), but also mashed, (Kartoffelpüree) and pan-roasted, (Bratkartoffeln) also are traditional. French fries, called Pommes frites, Pommes or regionally as Fritten in German, are a

common style of fried potatoes. They are traditionally offered with either ketchup or mayonnaise.

Asparagus- Asparagus, especially white asparagus known in German as Spargel, is a common side dish or may be prepared as a main dish. Restaurants will sometimes devote an entire menu to nothing but white asparagus when it is in season.

Cabbage- Cabbage and other vegetables are often used in stews or vegetable soups, but are also served as side dishes. Car-rots, turnips, spinach, peas, beans and broccoli are other popular vegetables in German cuisine.

Tool Retrieval and Briefing This phase of the program serves to brief the new garden-ers on the tools they are using and for what purposes.

Tools being used in this gardens features rakes, shovels, trowels, hoes, spreaders, and wheelbarrows. This phase of the program is also to teach the gardeners how the rain water collecting systems work, (in other gardens if a different type of irrigation is used, this is the phase

where that should be explained).

Sowing and Harvesting This phase of the program serves to get the new garden-ers hands and feet dirty! Depending on the height of the season, the gardeners will be either sowing seeds or har-vesting grown plants. This step will inform the garden-ers the timelines and climates their cultural crops need. There will be a guide representing each cuisine and/or

climate so if a gardener gets lost or confused, they will know someone who is specialized and can ask them questions

about their concerns.

Washing and DryingThis phase serves to allow the gardeners to wash their hands after sowing, and/or to wash the harvested crops

they just picked. There are wash bins connected to rainwa-ter collectors in this garden; this phase should also ap-ply the learned knowledge of the irrigation system briefed in the tool phase and show the gardeners how the system(s)

work.

ReflectingFinally, after all is done and the gardeners have had their hands on experience, this is when the group gath-ers again at the large table to reflect on their experi-ence. They can talk about what they learned, what they’re favorite part of the experience was, and a reflective thought to share with the whole group. This can also be a time for people to exchange phone numbers, emails, and other contact information as many relationships will stem

from this experience!

Documenting the ExperienceAfter all the tools are put away and everyones hands are washed and clean, the reflecting process will lead into documenting everyones experience with a group picture.

Those who participated should sign the guest book located at the entrance of the garden. (If this program is going to be retrofitted to another garden layout, a guestbook is advised to have for this process). These group pic-tures will be added to the wall behind the amphitheater,

and over time will create a mosaic of experiences.

Thank you for using the Multicultural Recipe Garden as a horticultural program. We hope this not only creates a dynamic garden filled with unique foods, but also form

relationships that will grow through life.