Nearly three Summers ago, when I started utilization planning for our main farm lot, I was super grateful for the open field area where Shannon’s granddad used to farm because it required minimal prep work for us to begin growing. A few months later, I witnessed a SUNflower melt in the open field of the devil’s armpit😳. It became abundantly clear that my true challenge in cultivating this land would be discovering plants that could handle this new age combo of direct sun + hellish heat.

This Summer, I’m trialing a rumored “full sun” herb native to Central and South America – Yerba Porosa – commonly known as “papalo” or “papaloquelite”. Its bright green leaves can be found growing wild in regions of Mexico and are used to flavor many popular culinary dishes. Its taste is closely compared to cilantro with a hint of lemon. (Though, many argue that papalo is its own and can’t be compared.) Allegedly, papaloquelite is a fast-growing, drought-tolerant, pest-resistant plant that can handle 21st century southern summers. We finna find out!

Much to my surprise, I was able to find a local seed source online. Promising. My seeds arrived within days of ordering and I immediately got them going in the indoor nursery since learning they can take up to three weeks to germinate.

Within three days, seeds had started germinating under humidity cover and on seedling heat mat. If I’m able to keep them happy through the remainder of Winter, I plan to trial them in various growing conditions this Summer. I’ll, surely, be putting some plants in-ground with south-facing, full FULL sun exposure and can’t wait to see how they respond. I love a good experiment🤓!

COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER: There’s just three weeks left to submit your Summer CSA application to enjoy farm fresh seasonal veggies, fruits, herbs, flowers, and maybe papalo😜 with us!