Garden Calendar - jobs for December -2 spicy natives to add to your edible garden

KAWAKAWA

Piper excelsum

ABOUT: small tree growing to 5m, but can be pruned to keep it shrub-height EDIBLE PARTS: small leaves (peppery-basil taste), fruit (pawpaw-ish when raw, peppery when roasted) HOW TO USE IT:

• remove stems and thick veins in leaves, then chop finely and add to homemade mayonnaise (source: chef Peter Gordon);

• dry leaves and use for tea, and as a spice in sweet and savoury dishes;

• eat berries fresh (spit out the peppery seeds), or roast to create peppercorns to use as a ground spice, or to infuse in alcohol (source: The Meaning of Trees, Robert Vennell).

HOROPITO

Pseudowintera colorata, mountain horopito, pepper tree

ABOUT: shrub 1-2.5m, with yellowgreen-red leaves

EDIBLE PART: leaves (hot pepperycitrus flavour)

HOW TO USE IT:

• dry leaves and grind to use as a seasoning as you would black pepper or chilli, as a rub for meat, to make tea, infuse in oil, alcohol, or beer, add to condiments such as aioli, mustard, or hummus (source: The Meaning of Trees, Robert Vennell).

• dry leaves and add to salt crystals in a grinder to season cooked food (source: chef Peter Gordon).