Syrian Spicy Haskorea Pepper This hot pepper grown in devastated Aleppo is a thin-walled Fresno/ Calabrian-looking pepper that works great for drying and using as chili flakes. It’s really spicy with a nice depth of flavor. It could be on the verge of extinction due to the civil war. Palestine Sweet Lime This is a less acidic lime of the limettioides citrus species, and it’s also referred to as Indian sweet lime. In parts of the world including India and the Middle East, the citrus has been thought to have medicinal qualities that help treat liver issues and fevers. 2 Medlar (“Royal” and “Breda” Varieties) The medlar, which tastes like pear or sweet potato, is believed to go back 3,000 years and is thought to have become popular in England in the Middle Ages through the 1600s. Famous writers, like Chaucer, Shakespeare, Cervantes, and Rabelais, mentioned the fruit in their work and some have been credited with giving the medlar its historically crude reputation. Chaucer and Shakespeare, for example, are said to have referred to the fruit as “open arses” due to its appearance. It needs to nearly be rotten, or left to blet (a process where the starch in the fruit is converted to sugar, allowing the fruit to soften), in order to eat. 3 HORACE’S CORNER of STANDOUT PLANTS 1
trade seeds. “I would get [Baker Creek’s] catalog in the mail and think, ‘What is this weird melon from India? What is this Swiss chard from Italy?’ I’m just obsessed with things from all over the world,” Cameron says, also mentioning the things he grows from conflict areas like Syrian peppers or limes from Gaza. The act of cultivating this produce is a sort of gentle activism as these varieties become harder to find in the U.S. It isn’t uncommon to find produce like this at Cameron and Jesso Jr.’s garden parties that have attracted a colorful cast of friends in the food and music scenes. “On my side of things it’s more industry people and the artists, producers or songwriters,” the musician says of the gatherings. “On Horace’s side, he’s so tapped into the agricultural and foodie world, we’ll have incredible bakers, private chefs, cocktail makers, and other masters of their craft.”
Now five years old, Jesso Jr.’s garden isn’t just a place for parties — it’s filled with dense foliage and rare plants framed by flamboyant flowers that Cameron grows for his partner’s arrangements. The neighborhood community has also come to appreciate everything happening outside of Jesso Jr.’s garden fence, since it’s located along a popular walking path and, thanks to Cameron, is now packed with dozens of colorful na- tive plants sourced from local specialty nurseries like Los Angeles’ famed Plant Material. On any given day, bees and other pollinators dance around desert globemallow, borage, Palmer’s mallow, and Matilija poppies, flitting back to the small apiary where Cameron has suc- cessfully kept bees the last two springs. The property zooms in on the potential of larger regenerative ventures and it’s easy to see the symbiosis between life feeding off life as a healthy compost pile filled with earthworms nourishes the plants that then are pollinated by insects. All of this is with the absence of animals, though there are hopes to add chickens in the future — another feath- er in the cap of a thriving project.
Outside of Jesso Jr.’s property, Cameron now has enough clients to sustain his passion, and he reflects on the term “master gardener” when pressed for hopes for the future. “I feel like you never really master it,” he says of gardening, despite his success. “Every season is different, and I’m always surprised. It’s a never-ending educational process.” What Jesso Jr. and Cameron have is truly special, and the land they’ve worked on together is a microcosm of a larger awareness around a healing and growing environment. “I like to say having a good gardener is kind of the full package,” Jesso Jr. says. “He’s like a little bit of a therapist. It’s as healthy as buying a sauna. There’s a lot of perks for the quality of food and knowledge about food — and it’s way cheaper than [the cost of paying for] all of those put together.” While the idea of everyone cultivating their own land might seem far away, Jesso Jr. and Cameron show how that goal could be closer than we might think. It starts by just getting your hands a little dirty.
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Visit @HORACEGARDENS on Instagram.
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it a couple of years. Each plant puts out easily 10 pounds a season. The heirloom tomato is in the Ark of Taste catalog, which serves as a record of foods at risk of extinction. Lebanese Za’atar (Summer Savory) This variety of Satureja hortensis, a seasonal summer herb, comes from Lebanon and is eaten fresh or dried. The regional variety is considered the “real” za’atar in Lebanon, where my partner’s family is from. 5
Green-Fleshed Guatemalan Ayote Winter Squash
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ABOVE: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NURSERIES PROVIDE A NUMBER OF CALIFORNIA NATIVE AND DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS THAT CREATE A HEALTHY HABITAT FOR POLLINATORS. RIGHT: CAMERON, JESSO JR., AND “BLUE” OUTSIDE THE GARDEN GATE.
This is a delicious, green- fleshed pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) that’s native to Guatemala. I got a hold of some seeds over four years ago and have impressed my Guatemalan friends ever since. — HORACE CAMERON
Fiaschetto di Manduria — Sauce Tomato
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This is an amazing sauce tomato from Puglia in southern Italy. I’ve only grown
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ISSUE 01
HARMONY IN THE GARDEN
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