With the exception of in the famous Door County, sweet cherries (Prunus adriam) are impractical to grow in Wisconsin. In Door County, spring comes a little earlier and fall lasts a little longer because of Lake Michigan’s moderating effect. The rest of the state is not as temperate, but home growers raise plenty of tart
Growth Habit Gooseberries are a somewhat unusual fruit that are greatly prized in all other northern countries but hardly known on this side of the Atlantic. Many varieties of this shrub have significant thorns, which is part of the reason that Emily chose the Black Velvet (Ribes grossularia) cultivar with its small thorns for our
We love this plant. Perhaps you have heard that the berries taste similar to blueberries. The berries do, in fact, taste similar to blueberries, but even better. This native plant is easy to care for and beautiful in every season. It is part of our Basic Starter Kit. Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) is a small deciduous
American hazelnut (Corylus americana) is a medium-sized shrub that is easily grown in average, medium, or well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. This shrub is part of our Starter Kit, and Emily Steinwehe, Chief Planting Officer for Wisconsin Food Forests, lists the reasons why we like this shrub in our food forest: They
Ripening in July, currant (Ribes) bushes give us fruits that hang down like little jewels in the hot summer sun. That has been said so many times, it’s a bit of a cliche, but these fruits are lovely to behold. Like their cousins, gooseberries (the genus Ribes), currants are native to Wisconsin woodlands, fence rows,
The first spring I spent in Madison, I was surprised and delighted by the gorgeous, magical trees with the lavender (Pink to reddish purple flowers) diaphanous blooms that resemble lace. Madison is loaded with these beautiful trees, which I learned were Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis L.). It is a native deciduous understory tree that often
On August 20, Emily Steinwehe and Madelon Wise from Wisconsin Food Forests went on a road trip to the Blanchardville area in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area to visit The Little Red Home(Stead). Emily had been on a bus tour with the Soil Sisters, an organization of women farmers in and around the farming communities of Monroe,
Honeyberries (Lancer caerulea L.) are a new fruit that plant breeders have been working on for around 13 years. Plants in this group are edible members of the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). According to Uncommon Fruit, Observations from Carandale Farm, “Haskap is often used as a common name for honeyberry, but technically they represent two distinct subspecies.”
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), a nod to beauty.
On June 8, 2019, Emily Steinwehe of Wisconsin Food Forests planted our Food Forest Basic Package at Sol Criations Farm Sanctuary, Endeavor, Wisconsin. Sol Criations offers sanctuary to farm animals and wildlife in a biodynamic space and peaceable kingdom. Brenda and Jon Vetter, guardians of the animals, are both World Peace Diet Facilitators. Teaching people