where botany meets the cutting board
The July 2026 issue of Gather and Sow is all about brambles (genus Rubus). This month we continue our summer romance with the rose family, specifically the cane fruits, or brambles, which include blackberries, raspberries, and their many look-alikes. These cane fruits belong to the branch of the rose family called the Rosoideae, which also [ ]
The Gather and Sow: June 2026 issue is all about strawberries. With so many strawberries in so many kitchens this month, now is the perfect time to merge botany lab and breakfast preparation by working through the many parts of a strawberry. We kick off the strawberry love with some explanations in Food for Thought. [ ]
Developing coconuts, in Panama. Photo by J. Touchton The May 2026 issue of our Gather and Sow newsletter is out. Coconut palms grow some of the biggest seeds on the planet, and vanilla seeds, from an orchid, are among the smallest. They are both delicious! They are also the subjects of this month’s newsletter. Just [ ]
The Gather and Sow: April 2026 newsletter is out, just in time for Easter. We write about betalains, the pigments that impart brilliant colors to beets and their relatives. And we dye Easter eggs with plant dyes, make violet syrup, and learn about pH.
Head over to our site Gather and Sow for the March 2026 newsletter. We observe two holidays in this March 2026 issue of Gather and Sow: St. David’s Day (March 1st) and Women’s History Month (all of March), which coincides with International Women’s Day on March 8th. Leeks are a traditional symbol of St. David’s Day, and their morphology is the topic [ ]
The Botanist in the Kitchen has a new online presence and a new monthly newsletter: Gather and Sow. The Gather and Sow: February 2026 issue is out, just in time for Valentine s Day. It s all about love and chocolate. Cauliflorous fruits on a cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), in a glasshouse at the United States Botanic [ ]
A Seminole pumpkin in a CSA box a decade ago got me thinking about squash diversity. Market bins and seasonal displays that autumn overflowed with squashes, gourds, and pumpkins in a dizzying array of sizes, shapes, and colors, but I had never seen a Seminole pumpkin among them. My pumpkin was squat, round, and the [ ]
Where have the botanists in the kitchen been? In our writing rooms, working on other ways to bring you this content. We can t wait to share what we ve been doing! Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy our substantial archive and follow us on Bluesky (@bitkblog.bsky.social, katherineapreston.bsky.social, jldosnas.bsky.social)
It’s August, and everyone from the American Midwest knows that late summer means fresh sweet corn, and a lot of it. When I was growing up in Indiana, every few days during corn season we would pick up a dozen ears from my family’s favorite roadside stand, just hours after harvest, and cook them right [ ]
It’s the winter holiday season, when halls are bedecked with garlands of evergreens, sprigs of holly, and bunches of mistletoe to remind us that there is life in the darkness and love to be shared. This year, Katherine has added another symbolic plant to her own holiday list – pine nuts. They are more precious [ ]