Content by Jennifer Furber published on July 12, 2017
Harrison House is surrounded by beautiful organic gardens of edible flowers and seasonal foods. Hanging baskets and potted herbs adorn the property, as well as a fig tree that delivers two delightful crops in late spring and then again in early fall.
San Juan Island is known for its lush greenery, mild seasons, and some of the most fertile soil in the country. At the Harrison House Suites, we love cold weather crops like greens and root vegetables, but we also grow warm-weather-loving crops like peppers and tomatoes.
The Harrison House gardens combine native plants and spectacular varieties of vegetables. The daily harvest is carried into the Garden Room Cafe to accompany our one-of-a-kind breakfast options. Our guests enjoy foods grown in our gardens as part of our multi-course breakfasts that honor the freshest, island-grown ingredients.
Who is Behind all the Greenery?
Jessica Bryan is the chef and gardener at Harrison House Suites. She is also an accredited vegetarian and vegan culinary artist. Jessica maintains the crops on a seasonal rotation. In the late fall to winter, she harvests hearty greens like kale. In the winter, she also plants herbs in containers and brings them indoors until spring.
This past winter on the island was one of the coldest and longest in nearly a decade. For farmers and gardeners across the islands, the crops were planted late and the lack of sunny days slowed growth for many foods. Now, summer is in full-swing and we are making up for lost time.
What’s Growing Now?
In the first garden bed, closest to the house, Jessica tends: leeks, shallots, carrots, variety tomatoes, rhubarb, greens, and radishes. This lovely bed is overseen by the lovely fig tree on the property.
On the Garden Room Cafe deck, there are pots filled with special heirloom tomatoes, yellow peppers, and jalapeños.
There are pots of basil and edible flowers, as well as fennel before the stairway leading to the lower garden. Once you make it to the lower garden, you’ll see potatoes, cabbage, snap peas, squash, strawberries, and beans.
In the evenings to come, the beautifully crafted dinner dishes at Coho Restaurant will have baby radishes with peppery bites. And, Chef Bill may garnish them with edible flowers picked from the Harrison House’s upper gardens.
Come and See for Yourself
We invite all of our guests at the Harrison House Suites and Tucker House Inn to meander through our gardens at their leisure to see all that is growing. Our team took it upon themselves to create some driftwood signs so you’ll know what is what. And, in the evening, you may even see a deer or two frolicking around!
