Meet Maribel
she/her
Species: Piper nigrum
Age: 6 months
Fave food: Cacio e pepe
Maribel is a black peppercorn plant I’m growing semi-hydroponically. I’ve loved watching her roots grow over the last few months. In just .5 liters of water, she’s producing 4 broad leaves without much fuss. It will take 6 years before she’s ready to produce peppercorns. I recently learned that black, white, red, green, and pink peppercorns all come from plants like Maribel — what can’t she do?
Meet JooJoo
he/him
Species: Eugenia uniflora
Age: 1 year
Talent: Producing a delicious berry
Another Florida transplant. She’s a flowering, fruiting bush from tropical South America and is somehow growing (nay, thriving) indoors in Brooklyn. Her berry tastes like a medicinal, astringent cherry and been shown to be antiviral and antifungal. If I can get her to fruit, I plan on making jam.
Meet the Miracle Siblings
they/them
Species: Synsepalum dulcificum
Age: 1 year
Hidden talent: Making sour taste sweet
These siblings are native to tropical Africa and known for their berry that, when eaten, causes sour foods subsequently consumed to taste sweet. This effect is due to miraculin— hence their common name: Miracle Fruit or Miracle Berries. My favorite way to eat them: a few berries before a juicy lemon — tastes like sweet lemonade.
Meet Moses
they/them
Species: Monstera deliciosa
Age: 2 years
Favorite thing: Air
Is Moses an everyday indoor Monstera? Yes. But don’t let that fool you. Moses remarkably survived the flight from Florida to Brooklyn in a suitcase and is thriving in his semi-hyrdoponic environment. This winter, they’ve been working on some (useless) air roots. Little do they know, the roots will be trimmed in the spring.