If You Can't Stand the Heat

Sea Rocket (Cakile edentula) on the beach in New York City

you've got to get out of the kitchen or in the case of plants down by the seashore, off of the beach and the sand. It's a hot week in New York City and though we've been blessed this year with a cool slow spring and early summer, mother nature's been kicking it up a notch since around the 4th. It's a good time to look around and appreciate those plants that grow in the cracks untended and without supplemental watering, or in the case of the Sea Rocket above, right in the sand at the beach. If you're a foodie or a forager or a foraging foodie, perhaps you admire this plant for reasons other than its ability to thrive in sand. But there's a long distance bike trip in my very near future and I'm looking at this plant for a little inspiration on what it takes to endure and thrive in an unforgiving environment.

Some botanical facts about Sea Rocket (Cakile edentula not quite sure how to pronounce the botanical name, but is there a reason to use it when the common name is so supercool?): It's a native and it's in the Brassicaceae family like Arugula and Radishes.