Twenty years ago, few people would have considered cooking with bachelor button (cornflower) flowers, and the mention of Mexican sour gherkin would have been met with raised eyebrows. But in the foodie world, everything old is new again, and micro farms like Wauwatosa’s Aromatic Acres are prepared to educate people in rediscovering culinary classics.
Husband and wife Joseph and Carly Ledger of Aromatic Acres both had long-time passions for gardening and good food. Carly began gardening more than 10 years ago while completing an environmental studies minor in college; she honed her skills further traveling throughout the country working conservation jobs at parks. When she returned to Milwaukee, she started growing food. Joseph had also gardened and worked in restaurants. He likes to cook and was always interested in culinary herbs. When he met Carly, they started growing vegetables for their own use and considered farming on a slightly larger scale.
The Ledgers rented land from UW-Extension and worked closely with Ryan Schone, food systems coordinator for the extension’s Agriculture and Food Systems. “He advised us to start slow and start small, and I’m pretty glad that we listened to that advice,” Carly said. They farm on approximately one-fifth of an acre at Firefly Ridge community gardens and operate Aromatic Acres around their full-time jobs.
They grow common and unusual vegetables, flowers, edible flowers and culinary and medicinal herbs. Carly, who has a background in studio art, likes to grow flowers such as phlox, poppies and ornamental kale for their artistic elements, and interest in edible flowers branched from that. Cut decorative flowers are a significant part of Aromatic Acres, but the popularity of edible flowers is growing. Customer favorites include bachelor buttons, with a mild, peppery cucumber taste. Good for people new to edible flowers, the blooms’ colorful white, purple or blue tones make them a popular chefs’ garnish. Chive flowers have also become hits at farmers markets.
The gem series of marigolds in orange and red add another aspect to the color and flavor palette, and the Ledgers are eager to educate people on how to use them in recipes. They also grow heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, pea tendrils, beets, specialty cucumbers, radishes and radish seed pods, which are crisp and still have that radish bite, but without the heat.
Another favorite is Mexican sour gherkin, which looks like a baby watermelon and is no larger than a grape. It has a cucumber flavor with lemony, tart hints. “Some people pickle them or skewer them for cocktail garnish. Kids just eat them as a snack,” Carly said.
Aromatic Acres uses organic methods and no pesticides. Growing techniques include trap cropping, where a “sacrificial” plant is added to the garden to attract pests away from the main crops. “We really value the land and being good stewards. It’s important to impact the land in a good, sustainable way,” Joseph said.
The Ledgers are avid home cooks and they grow things based on how they would use produce. “We like a farmers market atmosphere because we grow such unique items. It requires a lot of education and talking,” Carly said. “Sampling is a big part of our business.”
This season, Aromatic Acres will implement a community supported agriculture program (CSA), with customizable options including herbs, flower bouquets and a D.I.Y flower bucket, all available through the website. They hope to return to the Wauwatosa Farmers Market this year, and people can stay in touch via social media to find out where Aromatic Acres will sell their fun edibles this summer.
For more information, visit aromaticacres.com.
