Inside the French Laundry's secret garden

Peter Jacobsen

The man behind the garden. He’s just as adorable and kind as he looks. Here he’s picking an end-of-season fig from one of the garden’s many fig trees.

Pineapple sage plant

You can identify it by its pink leaves. Believe it or not, it has a slight pineapple flavor, which would make it a perfect herb for a tropical-flavored dish.

Marigolds

These are mostly used for garnish, as they don’t have much flavor. But some chefs do cook with it. Jacobsen says he saw one chef use it in a white marigold vinaigrette.

Chocolate mint

That's right - chocolate mint plant. This is a favorite amongst chefs. It actually tastes like chocolate mint and can be used for things like ice cream, making chocolate mint ice cream with no chocolate. By using the herb, you get a much richer flavor, as opposed to something like an alcohol-based extract.

Peach leaf

As with all stone fruits, it has an element of almond flavor and smell. Jacobsen says that if you steep it for just a few seconds it can be used to infuse anything with flavor. His favorite application is green peach leaf ice cream.

Caper plant

If you’ve ever wondered, this is where capers come from, complete with these amazing flowers.

Ice plant

This has a surprisingly sour and salty flavor to it. It’s also a bit fishy on the end. One chef made an uni cream combination with chunks of sautéed tuna. It can also be used in a salad or as a garnish. What’s cool is that it looks like glass, making it a pretty addition to any plate.

Ceremonial sage

This one is very strong and a bit harsh in taste. While it looks beautiful, Jacobsen said he wouldn’t eat it, just burn it and use it in a ceremony of sorts.

Fat pod okra

It’s huge. It can be pretty tender if picked at the right time, but right now Jacobsen said it’s awful.

Fall squash

No explanation needed.

Wild sorrel

This is often mistaken for clovers, but has that pleasant sour and lemony flavor that makes for a great herb.

Chickweed

This tastes a little like corn, which makes it perfect as a topping for corn chowder or something similar to serve as a counterpoint.

Mexican sour gherkin

Jacobsen calls this the world’s smallest watermelons. Chefs love these for garnish because they look so fun-size on a plate. What they lack in flavor they make up for in cuteness.

Malabar spinach seed

This is another chef favorite. Jacobsen says it doesn’t have a great flavor, but looks very cool on a plate.

Sea island corn

This is a heritage grain that Jacobsen is growing for a company that wants to preserve heritage seeds. Apparently, it’s one of the finest corns for making polenta.

Nasturtium flowers

These are simply beautiful for garnish, with a little flavor.

Tucked away in a discrete location somewhere in downtown Yountiville hides a little plot of land brimming with herbs and seasonal vegetables many people have likely never heard of. Among the usual broccoli and brussels sprouts are seemingly mystical things like chocolate mint bushes, ficoides, white carrots, miniature cucumbers and other foods that only show up on plates at Michelin-starred restaurants.

This little secret garden is Jacobsen Orchards, a 1.3 acre plot of land filled with more than 120 fruit trees, hundreds of herbs and dozens of varieties of culinary flowers that are used exclusively by the French Laundry and occasionally a couple of other notable San Francisco restaurants.

It’s run by the charming and ever-so-knowledgeable Peter Jacobsen, who purchased the plot with his wife Gwen over 35 years ago. He has been growing peculiar and delicious things for the French Laundry for 15 years.

A successful Bay Area dentist by day, Jacobsen is on a never-ending mission to source and grown the most unique seeds available in an effort to explore and pique the interest of his chef clients.

“Gweny and I plant it all,” Jacobsen says. “If you read articles about this stuff, there’s always something on the newest new thing growing. But once it hits the public eye, most of those things have been growing for some time. We really try to be on top of what’s new and get it in the garden.”

The slideshow features a few of the fascinating things growing in Jacobsen’s garden, and how the top chef of all top chefs uses them. Hopefully it will inspire you to find and grown some of this amazing stuff on your own.