Every plant has a story.Taste the World: Plant Stories explores the history, culture, growing information, nutrition, and uses behind the plants grown through Manheim Paseo Learning Garden. From culturally significant crops to native and pollinator-friendly plants, this growing collection connects food, conservation, and community through storytelling and education.
Malabar Spinach
Basella alba
Origin: South Asia
Malabar spinach is a heat-loving leafy green grown in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Unlike traditional spinach, it thrives during hot summers and grows as a climbing vine, making it ideal for trellises and vertical gardens.
Nutrition:
Rich in vitamins A and C, iron, antioxidants, and fiber.
Why We Grow It:
Malabar spinach is both beautiful and productive. Its edible leaves and vines support food diversity while showing how some crops are naturally adapted to hot urban summers.
Common Uses:
Often used in stir fries, soups, curries, and sautéed greens.
Simple Recipe – Garlic Malabar Greens
Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil, add chopped Malabar spinach leaves, and cook until tender. Finish with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Miss Annie Pearl Collards
Miss Annie Pearl Counselman CollardsThis heirloom collard variety carries a story of seed saving, community, and generations of care. In the 1950s, Miss Annie Pearl Counselman of Clarke County, Alabama received the seeds from the wife of a new Baptist preacher visiting her church in New Prospect, Alabama. Miss Annie Pearl continued growing and saving the seeds for more than 60 years.
In 2012, at 94 years old, she shared the seeds with gardener Tom Lambard, who later donated the variety to Seed Savers Exchange in 2015. He requested the collards be named “Miss Annie Pearl Counselman” in honor of her decades of stewardship and preservation.
Why We Grow It:This variety represents the importance of preserving heirloom crops, seed saving traditions, and agricultural knowledge passed through families and communities.
Growing Information:Collards are cool-season greens that tolerate heat and light frost. Plants produce large nutritious leaves that can be harvested continuously through the season.Common
Uses:Collards are traditionally slow-cooked, sautéed, added to soups, or prepared with onions, garlic, and peppers. Large fresh leaves can also be used as wraps in place of tortillas or bread.Simple Preparation:Try using fresh collard leaves as a wrap filled with rice, roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, or beans for a nutrient-rich alternative to traditional wraps.
Ginger
Warm-climate rhizome crop valued in cuisines around the world for its bold flavor and traditional wellness uses. Ginger can be grown in containers or garden beds and prefers rich soil, warmth, and consistent moisture. Young ginger is especially tender and flavorful.Cultural Significance:Used across African, Caribbean, Asian, and Latin American food traditions in teas, soups, sauces, and herbal preparations.Growing Notes:Full sun to partial shadeKeep soil evenly moistHarvest young ginger for mild flavor or mature rhizomes for storageWays to Use:Tea, stir fry, soups, marinades, juices, baked goods, and herbal blends.Quick Kitchen Tip:Peel ginger with the edge of a spoon, then slice, grate, or finely chop before adding to recipes.Simple Ginger Chips:Thinly slice ginger, lightly coat with honey or sugar if desired, and dry in the oven or dehydrator until crisp. Great for tea, snacks, or garnishes.
Epazote
A traditional culinary herb native to Central and South America, epazote is known for its distinctive aroma and earthy flavor. It has long been used in Mexican and Indigenous cooking, especially in bean dishes, soups, tamales, and quesadillas. The leaves are typically used fresh, while young stems can also add flavor during cooking.Cultural Significance:Epazote has been grown and shared through generations as an important herb in Latin American food traditions and home gardens.Growing Notes:Full sunThrives in warm weatherDrought tolerant once establishedHarvest leaves regularly for continued growthKitchen Tip:Use sparingly, as the flavor is strong. Fresh leaves are often added near the end of cooking.Simple Recipe Idea – Epazote Beans:Add 2–3 fresh epazote leaves to a pot of black or pinto beans while simmering with garlic and onion. Remove stems before serving. Traditionally used to add flavor to slow-cooked beans.
Culantro
A tropical leafy herb popular in Caribbean, Latin American, and Southeast Asian cuisines. Culantro has a bold flavor similar to cilantro, but stronger and more pungent. Its long, serrated leaves are commonly used in soups, marinades, rice dishes, and green seasoning blends.Cultural Significance:Widely grown in Puerto Rican, Dominican, Trinidadian, Vietnamese, and other cultural food traditions where fresh herbs play an important role in everyday cooking.Growing Notes:Prefers warm weather and partial shadeKeep soil moist and rich in organic matterHarvest outer leaves regularlySlow to bolt compared to cilantroKitchen Tip:Use a small amount finely chopped, as the flavor is stronger than cilantro. Best used fresh or blended into sauces.Recipe Idea – Culantro Green Sauce (Pesto Style):Blend culantro leaves with garlic, lime juice, olive oil, pumpkin seeds or nuts, and a pinch of salt. Use as a marinade, spoon over rice, grilled vegetables, fish, or roasted potatoes for a bold herbal flavor.