Many edible and medicinal plants are a boon for humans and bees. You can create an “herbaliscious” garden that fills your pantry while feeding pollinators. There are some edible annuals that are easy to grow and some perennial “keystone” herbs which are an essential part of the infrastructure of a healthy pollinator garden.
Books on Growing and Using Herbs:
Food Forestry North of the 49th by Richard D. Walker
“A food forest is not your typical Canadian forest. Rather, it is a planted garden that aims to mimic the ‘closed loop’ of self-sustaining biological system of a natural forest with the added benefit of growing food and medicine.”
“If I were King of the World I would decree that all communities require nature corridors, even if they go right through the middle of corporate office grounds, institutions, highways, and thoroughfares. We would use the same jurisdiction as used for pipelines, highways and cell phone towers.”
--Richard D. Walker, Food Forestry North of the 49th
Grow Your Own Drugs: The Top 100 Plants to Treat Arthritis, Migraines, Coughs and More by James Wong
The Lavender Gardens: Beautiful Varieties to Grow and Gather by Robert Kourik
The VanDusen Cookbook: Flavours of the Gardens (A collection of recipes from the members of the Vancouver Botanical Garden Association) ie rosehip jelly and nettle soup
Homegrown Tea: An Illustrated Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Blending Teas and Tisanes by Cassie Liversidge
Drink in the Wild: Teas Cordials, Jams and More by Hilary Stewart
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West by Gregory L. Tiford
Wild Berries of the Pacific Northwest: on the bush . . . on the table . . . in the glass by J.E. (Ted) Underhill
Pacific Northwest Foraging: 120 wild and flavorful edibles from Alaska blueberries to wild hazelnuts by Douglas Deur
Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs by Tim Meuninck
Online Resources:
Richter's is a wonderful company that sells herbs based in Ontario and their catalogue has a wealth of information on growing herbs: https://www.richters.com/
Horticultural Centre of the Pacific Ethnobotany Trail
Haikai Magazine The Local Carb Diet
The Wondersmith: Exquisitely presented art and recipes, ceramicist
Wild Bee Florals: Edible flowers grown in the Comox Valley: artist and flower farmer
Pascal Baudar: Wild food artist, ceramacist
Unruly Gardening: Using selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)
Go Hiking: Cooley’s Hedge Nettle
‘Ornaments Are Great But It’s Better If You Can Eat Them’
Edible flowers are back on trend. An explainer by Sonal Gupta