Common Name: Sweet Sorghum
Scientific Name: Sorghum Bicolor

My introduction to sorghum syrup came about in a very roundabout way. I was living in Washington, DC. and converted four lots and two houses into an urban farm. As a result, I was always falling afoul of the law...

Common Name: Japanese Quince
Scientific Name: Chaenomeles Japonica

When most kids were watching TV, I was digging plants out of the woods. I first spotted the Japanese quince on one of my many unsupervised plant field trips.

Common Name: Muscadine Grapes
Scientific Name: Vitis Rotundifolia

The first time I ran into Muscadine grapes, I was visiting Fayetteville, North Carolina, and it was an accidental run in.

Common Name: Prickly Pear
Scientific Name: Opuntia Ficus-Indica

Ever eaten a prickly pear cactus? Maybe not. However, you have probably seen them at the grocery store.

Common Name: Jamaican Sorrel
Scientific Name: Hibiscus Sabdariffa

The first time I bumped into sorrel was in the deepest recesses of Orange Bay, Jamaica. The date was sometime in the winter of 1984. I had met a Jamaican healer at an open air market and ended up at her home...